In the Line of Sight

In the Line of Sight
Originally uploaded by ~db~

From the artists' description:

"In the Line of Sight uses 100 computer-controlled tactical flashlights to project low-resolution video footage of suspicious human motion. Each flashlight shines a light spot on the wall. All flashlights combined create a ten by ten matrix representation of the source footage, featured on a video monitor in an adjacent part of the gallery."

Meet the Snake

Meet the Snake
Originally uploaded by ~db~

Officially named ADB, it is a tactile robot, reacting to touch. Normally still, if one of its modules is touched, the other modules immediately twist, seeking to be touched as well. This results in something akin to petting an animal in order to keep it still. Differing the pressure of the caress creates different responses. Even though it is designed to not look like an animal, it is difficult to resist the urge to treat it as one. Lots of "Awww, isn't it cute?" type of remarks. It was one of several pieces which explored emotive or social devices.

Interactive Zoetrope

Interactive Zoetrope
Originally uploaded by ~db~

This zoetrope was developed by Disney Pixar. The left and right faces are controlled by microphones. With music playing in the background, participants could sing or talk and the respective face would change dynamically and independently of the other.

Lo-Res 3D Modeling

Lo-Res 3D Modeling
Originally uploaded by ~db~

This year's SIGGRAPH showed many ways of turning computer models into three dimensional objects. Most involved layering microscopic amounts of resin thousands of times, slowly building up the final object over many hours.

This instead was a decidedly lo-fi affair uses a computer guided mill to cut out individual layers of the final object, which will then be assembled.

I'm not sure of what kind of applications it could be used for, but it is a nifty idea.

The Lightness of Your Touch

The Lightness of Your Touch
Originally uploaded by ~db~

By Henry Kaufman, this piece reacts to your presence and, particularly, to touch.

Face Time

Face Time
Originally uploaded by ~db~

A small (4-5") model used during a demo of desktop 3D modeling.