Octopi, magic walls and Meso oh my!

For our latest blog posting Dan brought in Simon Conlin. If you don’t know, and I sure didn’t, Simon Conlin is from Flash in the Can. And what is Flash in the Can you may ask, well it’s a “Do It Yourself” festival for new media designers and developers who will learn the latest in interactive techniques and technologies and how to apply them to their own work.” Sounds cool doesn’t it?

Anyway, Simon showed us YouTube videos to demonstrate the different ways Physical Interactivity, like Gesturetek’s technology can be used. I’ve said before that I didn’t think that gesture technology was all that. But after seeing some of the really cool things from the videos I’m beginning to change my mind.

Simon showed us work from a few different people but it mainly centered on Zack Booth Simpson. This video here, I thought was very cool. Zack talks about creating elements based on the gestures of people. Like shining a light on a screen to make flowers grow or swirling a light to create different motions of colour. I thought that was very interesting because it never occurred to me that shining a light on a screen would or could activate gesture technology.

Zack also talks about being inspired by an anime, to create a pool of water that grew life if it was stepped on but once you leave the life then dies off. In this way people would be motivated to walk quickly, jump around and see how much life they could create. But Zach wanted to show the relationship of giving life and taking it away and the fact that you can’t have everything so he designed it so that if you jump/walk/activate it too much all the life dies away.

Watching that little scene I had a burst of inspiration. I thought it would be cool to do a similar thing except have the life in a pond or in a forest or something grow independently without any outside influence. But when someone does activate it instead of creating life like Zach’s I would want mine to destroy life. And the more you destroyed it the longer and longer it would take to grow back once you had left. Maybe even creating it so that if you jumped on it or activated it so much that nothing would ever grow unless the program was reset. I think that’s the basis of life on Earth. How marvelous would Earth be if humans never existed on it? If we were never around to reek havoc on it. We’re the only creature on the planet that destroys its own habitat to live. I think an installation like that would be really cool in a museum somewhere in an exhibit about life on this planet.

Adam Chapman is also featured on that clip but his pieces are not as interesting to me, especially the one where he created an algorithm so that birds flying in the sky would come together in a pattern to create a symbol or word.

Simon also showed us a website of a company called Meso. Meso does incredible things with huge interactive screen and floors that are manipulated by people. For example we saw a video from a George Michael concert, where the band was walking along this giant environment and activating it as they performed. It’s just incredible. There are some images on that page where it looks like George Michael is standing on an overflowing river of colour. Even I would love to see a concert like that. Although I worry about how much the ticket price would be. Giant interactivity can’t be cheap.

Meso also did a cool project with an Energy Globe which is like replica of the Earth that can be programmed to show the affect of different weather patterns and how global warming is affecting the planet on a global scale. Here’s the link for that. It’s definitely something I’d love to see up close.

In addition the class was shown an interactive screen with musical instruments all over it that allows users to play the instruments. Which is basically what my AV/MP assignment with Jeff is but there’s looks a lot nicer. Thankfully ours is only a prototype.

I think possibly the coolest thing that we were shown in Simon’s presentation was the Adobe Interactivity Wall. Adobe, the creator’s of Creative Suite 3, made a giant wall with a slider and infrared camera. So that when someone walked by it would activate and create a scene based on their movements. It was amazing to see and it would be really awesome to be able to create something like that in the class. Especially if it was a giant group assignment, that way everyone could create an vector image of a robot monkey growing wings or a mushroom shooting spikes and it would all come together on a giant wall. And in terms of marketing, for Adobe it was a brilliant idea to sell their new software because people weren’t watching a static ad on TV, but interacting with the ad itself and not being constantly pushed to by but motivated by their own creativity, amusement and enjoyment.

And finally we have the octopus video. Which is a demonstration of amazing camouflage although I’m not really sure why we were shown it. It would make a cool interactive ocean if when you stepped on a plant an angry cuttlefish or octopus swam out and then moved to the other side of the water to hide in a different underwater plant. It would be cool to watch people trying to hunt down the poor octopus.

If nothing else, the presentation did give me a lot of ideas.

Here are a list of the links in this blog entry:

Flash in the Can

Zach Booth Simpson

Meso

George Michael concert

Energy Globe

Interactive music Jam

Adobe Interactive Wall

Adobe Interactive Wall 2

Octopus video

Gesturetek...fieldtrip to the future

On Friday October 12th, a small band of rebel interactive multimedia students, aka Jeff and I, drove into Toronto for the experience of a lifetime at Gesturetek.

Of course we almost missed that experience altogether because the building housing the Gesturetek offices was under construction. We couldn't see it from the car at all, not even the numbers on the building. After driving around in circles, which was actually squares because of one way streets, the bane of my driving existence, for 15 minutes we finally saw a parking spot.

But of course it was already taken! By Killian and her own band of merry travellers. Darn! But at least Jeff and I were no longer alone. We found a spot in the lot across the street and more importantly I didn't have to give the creepily happy parking guy my car keys.

So we started walking...the wrong way. Until a helpful stranger showed us the way. I'd like to point out, Jeff's artist rendering of the helpful stranger since it is a timeless piece of beauty.

Eventually arriving at Gesturetek we were escorted to the back room and the rest of the class.

Vincent John Vincent, President and Founder of Gesturetek and holder of the coolest name in the room, showed us around the lab.

One of the things I found interesting was the different types of cameras used for gesture technology. For instance they have single camera capture systems that allow one point of contact within the matrix. Multi-touch systems which use two cameras allow users to have a point of contact within the matrix for each hand. Multi-touch is also a system created by two US researchers designed to promote less repetitive strain injuries associated with prolonged keyboard and mouse use. Check the links at the end for more on that piece of tech. Anyway, the multi-touch system allows much more creativity in programming and gives the user a lot more control.

Speaking of control, something else I found interesting was the fact that gesture technology can control any size screen from any distance, meaning that they really can bring big ideas into reality.

Photo time! Here a lovely photo of delicious irony taken by Jeff Winkworth, showing the height of technological achievement...and what are we doing with it? Playing pong. It just doesn't get any better than that.

And here is another nice shot taken by Killian, of all the power required to run Gesturetek's fancy technology. I call it, "Fire Hazard at Gesturetek."

VJV also told the class about the different uses for Gesturetek's technology.

GesturetekHealth is a division of Gesturetek which uses their technology to help with rehab services. Patients who have to under go physical therapy, use gesture technology to make the therapy more fun. According to Vincent John Vincent, hence forth known as VJV, this technology is being used today in 30 different health/rehab companies and in improves the length of time patients spend on their therapy by 33%. Which is quite significant if you think about it.

Weather Services International is another company that uses Gesture Technology. You may not realize it but some Meteorologists use it in their weather forecasts. When they stand in front of a green screen and move their hands they can cue different weather patterns and effects, such as a cold front moving over the region.

Gesturetek has also done a lot of work in Japan. They created a Japanese TV show, called Nick Arcade in which characters ran around on a green screen which put them into an arcade type game which was broadcast on television.

They have just launched a series of games for Japanese cellphones. Apparently there is approximately 100 games that have been developed that require the user to either gesture in front of their cell phone to move pieces in the game or tilt and twist their cell phone to move elements on the screen. This is yet another division of Gesturetek called GesturetekMobile.

One of the games VJV mentioned by name was Katamari Damacy. Which at best is an unusual game. Basically, your father, the King of all Cosmos has destroyed the moon and the stars. That's what you get when you're bored and have unlimited power. Anyway, you are his son who is tasked with recreating the moon and the stars. How? Well you push around around this super adhesive ball called a katamari, you roll it around and around cities and country sides picking up everything from nails to school children to double decker buses. Once the ball is large enough you can take it up into space and create a star. And that's it...so yah the game isn't for everyone.

Final Thoughts:

I did find the field trip interesting but my opinion of gesture technology hasn't really changed. I know that Gesturetek has 1600 offices world wide and are probably raking in the dough. But I don't see the technology as anything more than a passing fad.

It’s cool and “gimmicky” but the practical applications don't really extend to the everyday user. Meteorologists and rehab patients aside who is really using this technology? I know that the deal with the Japanese cell phone company is probably netting Gesturetek millions but I still don't see the value of it. I've played one type of game they mentioned, which is rotating, twisting and turning to make an object on the screen movie. The game I played on Gameboy Advance was called Yoshi Topsy Turvy. And after two levels I found it thoroughly irritating. I find that type of game control very limiting and repetitive.

Look at the Wii. It’s a good family console, lots of fun for parties and groups etc. But what about the everyday use? I like my Wii, but I haven’t played a ton of games on it. I have played games that are specially designed to work with the gesture technology on it. Like Wii sports and Trauma Center: Second Opinion. And that’s only every now and then when I feel like something different. But the everyday games like Spider-man, Paper Mario, Darkness etc, I play on other consoles or ignore altogether. How frustrating, tiring and boring would it be to have to web-sling across New York by swinging your arm back and forth? Playing that same game on X-box 360 I traveled over 200 miles web-slinging. If I had done that on the Wii my arm would have fallen off.

In my mind, gesture technology will never become mainstream. But godspeed to the good folks at Gesturetek for turning it into a lucrative business. And here are some links:

Linkage:

Weather Services International
Multi-touch
Gesture Recognition Technology
Expanding Gesture Technology Beyond the Eyetoy

Nick Arcade
Gesturetek Health
Gesturetek Mobile
Gesturetek

Immersion Studios: Where magic is only four floors away

Immersion Studios is a brisk four floor walk up from the Interactive Multimedia lab. Inside is a busy hive of computer programmers and designers: everyone a geek at heart, as demonstrated by their desk clutter, i.e. toys like: bobblehead wolverine, transformers and other nicknacks.

But what's the real story behind Immersion Studios?

Well for starters its not technology specifically created for gaming, as one might guess. Instead it is used for simulations and programs designed to teach. For instance, the space movie we were treated to today had users frantically clicking to save an astronaut from being killed by parasites. Which sounds like a game, but with the realism of the graphics of the inner body, cell and skeletal structure used, simulations like this can easily be used to teach medical students.

Another project they have created is called Crime Scene Protection. Also a learning tool, this one teaches police officers to find and protect physical evidence at a crime scene. Other projects teach officers how to measure skid marks to calculate car speeds and help with gathering data at accidents and how to safely pull a vehicle off the road.

Immersion also has visualization based learning, like their Viking Mystery and the Ottawa Light Rail project. These types of elements are less interactive in their teaching but still viable as teaching aids.

Another cool project they are working on at the moment is F.A.C.E, Facial Animation Communication Engine. This program allows a computer to mimic the facial expressions of a person into a 3D rendered person on screen. Or it will when it's completely finished anyway. The technology works on 59 different points of facial recognition or control points to determine how to properly mimic a person's facial expressions. The program first starts by detecting the head, then it moves on to detect each region of the face, eyes, lips, nose etc. I'm sure once it's fully function the technology will be amazing, I'm just unsure what it's practical applications would be.

I was especially interested in the programs they used to create all the wonderful visualizations that they showed us. And even more amazed that the program they used for a bunch of their work is one I can get for free.

Ogre according to their site, is one of the world's most popular open source graphic rendering engines. This is definitely something I'm going to check out. Free technology is good technology.

I also noticed another rendering program that was advertised on a wall at Immersion Studios which is called Houdini. It's created by a company called Side Effects Software. Although it's not free or even cheap, it still seems to create some amazing effects.

Finally on Immersion Studio's website they mentioned that they have worked on games for Game boy Advance. Based on the medical graphics from the space video, it got me thinking of a game called Trauma Center: Second Opinion. This game is on the Wii and users get to play a surgeon in a busy hospital. Throughout the game you perform operations, such as removing broken glass from an accident victim's heart, exorisizing a tumor and even treating an infectious disease. Although the graphics are a little cartoony in nature, they are very accurate and life like. The game even gives you real tools of the trade to use such as syringes, scalpels, laser, forceps and an ultrasound. The game itself was challenging but lots of fun but I can see it in a new light now as being a tool for new doctors.

In closing, Immerison studios really does have some awesome technology to show the world. It's just a shame that it's not as grand as it once was.

Interesting links I think you should check out:

Immersion Studio's Site
Ottawa Light Rail Project
Facial Recognition Technology
Ogre 3D Graphic Rendering Engine
Houdini - Side Effects Software
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Song Ho Ahn's Personal Website