This 3D sketch kit is meant simply for toddlers for ages five and up. The 3D sketch kit includes a pair of glasses with locked red and blue pencils. For a mere $7.00, I think I should also try my hands to give stereographic looks to some of my 2D drawings. This simple stationery set plays stereographic tricks using the same principles as classic 3D movies, resulting in a fun and educational toy for ages 5 and up.
The search engine giant Google will soon face some stiff competition from a Swedish company called Polar Rose. Polar Rose is planning to release a new visual search engine with face recognition and 3D imaging software, the beta of which will be available by February 2007. The users of this new search engine will have to enter the name and the facial characteristics of the person whom they are searching for. The search engine will be available both as a plug-in for Firefox and IE and could also be integrated in a web site as it is API based. When activated the engine will display all the images of people that one encounter while surfing and you can just click on any image and the application will search the web for some more images of the person. This method of entering visual characteristics of a person for searching his or her images on the web is a new idea and should be welcomed by the community. Via: abcnews
Japanese company NTT Comware has came out with some realistic 3D imaging technology in juxtaposition with their sensor-packed glove , which allows you to see and feel images. This touchable 3D arrangement permits you to be connected and transformed into 3D images instantaneously. For example, if you are holding hand via virtual representation of your spouse and if he or she walks away from the screen your hand will feel the haul as he or she leaves your pseudo-grasp. However, developers are also discovering commercialization alternatives and video phones but still there are never ending possibilities for this kind of technology.
Sun has just released its new application that they call as the ‘Looking Glass 3D’ interface. The application can be compared to the Quartz Extreme Effects that are integrated in Mac OS X and the much popular Vista’s Aero Glass Interface. The interface allows the users to treat the windows as 3D objects floating in space. Users will also be able to flip the windows to see some hidden programs or some special commands that are displayed on the reverse of the windows. The application has a Dock-style launch bar and the windows can also be moved in between virtual operating systems. The application is developed in Java that means that it is platform independent. Moreover, since the application runs as a Java layer on top of the main operating system, so it does not change the performance of the main operating system. The application is available as a free download for all the major operating systems. Via: electronista
The very first computer that could be built at home was the Altair 8800, which was introduced in 1970. It was touted to be a desktop computer revolution by most of the historians. Now, Hod Lipson, Cornell assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, shares the same sort of feelings for his little machine dubbed Fab@Home. He further hopes to see ‘fabber’ in each and every home so that people could imitate objects from plans given by a computer. For example, you wish to make an MP3 player, you need to get the instructions from the computer and the ‘fabber’ will make one for you. Isn’t that great? Now, 3-D printers based on this technique are being used by industrial engineers for "rapid prototyping." The designs are developed in the computer programs and then the working plastic models of 3D printers are made. A 3-D printer has a small nozzle that scans back and forth across a surface, depositing tiny droplets of quick-hardening plastic. After each scan, the nozzle moves up a notch and scans again until it has built up the complete object, layer by layer. Well, the pricing for such systems start at around $100,000 but you can make Fab@Home for a mere $2,300. The prototype, designed by Evan Malone, a Ph.D. candidate in Lipson’s Computational Synthesis Laboratory, is slower than the saleable models and down on resolutions too, but people are finding sensible uses for it. The site offers notes on the history of 3-D printing and discussion groups. Fab@Home is "open source" and is intended to inspire the new fabbing technology.
Nowadays, 3D illusion has become one of the most prominent art forms that have attracted many a viewers. Here are some of the 3D graphics or pictures that may glint your mind’s eye.
Toronto-based security equipment developer Bioscrypt Incorporation has developed a world’s first 3D face recognition camera that can be used to authenticate individuals accessing computer. This approaching VisionAccess 3D DeskCam uses 40,000 identification points to check your identity. It scans your forehead, eye sockets and nose as an identification proof to allow users to access their computer. This high-end camera uses infrared and visible light to perform face scans. The 3D DeskCam is only three inches tall and can be easily connected to the PC or laptop via single USB interface. No comments on price but the device will soon hit the shelves in the second half of 2007. Via: Prblogging
A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science in Saarbrucken, Germany have developed a new kind of 3D animation technique that allows the user to paste a high-resolution 3D scan of his own on to another person’s movements. The process is too simple as it requires a simple body scan and users can use the animated version in the game within a few minutes. Interestingly, the scans can be taken in less than a minute and are precise to millimeters. Other than the flexible applications of this technique, they are most concerned in using it to generate 3D video.
Frepar Networks will be releasing a device that can project a 3D character hologram of your choice onto a platform. After the character is projected you will be able to communicate with him or her. By using a CODEC Cell cartridge which will hold the information on the character you will also be able to view it in 3D without using any special glasses. The best feature is that you will also be able to communicate with the character both verbally and physically. For example if the projected character is a girl then it can accept or reject your proposal and its skirt will blow if you give a big sigh after getting a nod from her…! Via: ubergizmo
You don’t need to technically sound enough to create any 3D image with the new Mirage 3D Hologram Generator. The device is in actual a precision optical instrument that is claimed to be built to display realistic 3D holograms in the air that appear to be solid. The device is being used in the schools and universities to teach the students the principles of 3D imagery. Well, there are no moving parts, no batteries, cords, dials, knobs or switches.