Tag Archives: disney research

Seeing is believing, Disney crafts 3D printed optics (video)

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DNP Seeing is believing, Disney crafts 3D printed optics video

A group of engineers from Disney Research have crafted a new method to create interactive objects using 3D printers. Referred to as "printed optics," the lure of this technology is the ability to transform inert 3D models into interactive subjects by embedding 3D printed light piping into an object with minimal electronic components. Illuminated by LEDs and mobile projectors, this new breakthrough in optics has the potential to replace LCD and LED screens to display information on smaller interactive devices. If you find yourself scratching your head trying to visualize such a mojo in action, then check out the video after the break. It will enlighten you.

Continue reading Seeing is believing, Disney crafts 3D printed optics (video)

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Seeing is believing, Disney crafts 3D printed optics (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Core77  |  sourceDisney Research (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Disney researchers can now digitally shave your face, clone it for animatronics (video)

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Disney researchers can now digitally shave your face, clone it for animatronics video

The minds at Disney Research aren't only interested in tracking your face -- they want to map, shave and clone it, too. Through a pair of research projects, Walt's proteges have managed to create systems for not only mapping, digitally reconstructing and removing facial hair, but also for creating lifelike synthetic replicas of human faces for use in animatronics. Let's start with the beards, shall we? Facial hair is a big part of a person's physical identity, a quick shave can render a close friend unrecognizable -- but modern face-capture systems aren't really optimized for the stuff. Disney researchers attempted to address that issue by creating an algorithm that detects facial hair, reconstructs it in 3D and uses the information it gathers to suss out the shape of the skin underneath it. This produces a reconstruction of not only the skin episurface, but also of the subject's individual hairs, meaning the final product can be viewed with or without a clean shave.

Another Disney team is also taking a careful look at the human face, but is working on more tangible reconstructions -- specifically for use on audio-animatronic robots. The team behind the Physical Face Cloning project hope to automate part of creating animatronics to speed up the task of replicating a human face for future Disney robots. This complicated process involves capturing a subjects face under a variety of conditions and using that data to optimize a composition of synthetic skin to best match the original. Fully bearded animatronic clones are still a ways off, of course, but isn't it comforting to know that Disney could one day replace you accurately replicate your visage in Walt Disney World for posterity? Dive into the specifics of the research at the source links below, or read on for a video summary of the basics.

Continue reading Disney researchers can now digitally shave your face, clone it for animatronics (video)

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Disney researchers can now digitally shave your face, clone it for animatronics (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Aug 2012 03:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg (1), (2)  |  sourceDisney Research (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

Disney’s REVEL could turn the whole world into a tactile touchscreen (video)

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Disneys Revel could turn the whole world into a touchscreen video

Disney Research think it can go one better on Tactile and Haptic touch displays by using electrical fields to add sensation to nearly anything you can touch. Using Reverse Electrovibration, REVEL works by strapping an electrostatic signal generator to your body, so when you come into contact with an object on the same electrical plane, that low-level field can be altered to create friction. It's hoped that the technology could revolutionize touchscreens, add a whole new level of feeling to augmented reality and help blind people feel their way around. There's a video after the break, but be warned, it's light on the sort of cartoony hijinks you'd normally expect from the House of Mouse.

Continue reading Disney's REVEL could turn the whole world into a tactile touchscreen (video)

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Disney's REVEL could turn the whole world into a tactile touchscreen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 05:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MIT Technology Review  |  sourceDisney Research  | Email this | Comments

Disney Research’s Botanicus Interacticus adds capacitive touch to ordinary plants, we go hands-on

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Disney Research's Botanicus Interacticus adds capacitive touch to ordinary plants, we go handson video

Sure, you spend plenty of time talking to your plants, but have you ever made them sing? In partnership with Berlin-based Studio NAND, Walt Disney's experience development arm, coined Disney Research, has found a way to take human-plant interaction to an almost freakish level. The project's called Botanicus Interacticus, and centers around a custom-built capacitive sensor module, which pipes a very low current through an otherwise ordinary plant, then senses when and where you touch. Assuming your body is grounded, the device uses more than 200 frequencies to determine exactly where you've grabbed hold of a stem. Then, depending on how it may be programed, the sensor can trigger any combination of feedback, ranging from a notification that your child is attempting to climb that massive oak in the yard again, to an interactive melody that varies based on where your hand falls along the plant.

Because this is Disney Research, the company would most likely use the new tech in an interactive theme park attraction, though there's currently no plan to do much more than demo Botanicus Interacticus for SIGGRAPH attendees. This week's demonstration is giving the creators an opportunity to gather feedback as they try out their project on the general public. There's four different stations on hand, ranging from a stick of bamboo that offers the full gamut of sensitivity, including the exact location of touch, to an orchid that can sense an electric field disruption even as you approach for contact. While interactive plants may not have a role in everyday life, Botanicus Interacticus is certainly a clever implementation of capacitive touch. You can see it action just past the break.

Gallery: Disney Research Botanicus Interacticus hands-on

Continue reading Disney Research's Botanicus Interacticus adds capacitive touch to ordinary plants, we go hands-on

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Disney Research's Botanicus Interacticus adds capacitive touch to ordinary plants, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney Research’s Touché system detects your touch on most things, even water (video)

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Disney Research has announced some new touch interface technology that add extra gesture functionality to existing touchscreens and more exotic items like doorknobs and even the water's surface. Touché works by sensing capacitive signals across a range of frequencies -- whereas typical systems only pick up signal at a single frequency. This Swept Frequency Capacitive Sensing (SFCS) can recognize exactly how we interact with an object or surface, not limited to surface area differences. According to Disney Research, this could include embedding different commands for when a user pinches or grasps a hooked-up object. One proof of concept door knob allows it to be locked or display a "be right back" sign depending on exactly how it's handled. Get the full explanation -- and see some watery fingertip detection -- right after the break.

Continue reading Disney Research's Touché system detects your touch on most things, even water (video)

Disney Research's Touché system detects your touch on most things, even water (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 05:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge, CNET  |  sourceDisney Research  | Email this | Comments