Techno Babble

The FogScreen™ projection screen, produces a thin curtain of “dry” fog that serves as a translucent projection screen, displaying images that literally float in the air.

http://www.fogscreen.com/en/company/

Using nothing more than tap water and ultrasonic waves, FogScreen projection screen machines employ a patented technology (U.S. Patent 6,819,487) to create a smooth foggy airflow that captures images just like a screen. You can walk right through a FogScreen projection screen without getting wet. The microscopic fog droplets actually feel dry to the touch, just like air.

The beauty of the FogScreen projection screen is that anything you can see on a computer screen can now float in the air. Otherwise it’s like any ordinary projection screen. It works with still pictures, moving images and lasers. With two projectors, different images can be shown on both sides of the screen.

Here’s a video presentation in English:

http://www.fogscreen.com/client-data/file/What_is_FogScreen_eng.wmv

Other language versions of this presentation are available directly from:

http://www.fogscreen.com/en/Downloads/

The FogScreen projection screen is available in two models, Inia and One. The Inia has a fixed screen size of 2 meters (79″) wide and 1.5 meters (59″) high. The One is 1 meter (39″) wide, but multiple Ones can be linked to form a seamless projection screen of any width, almost without limit.

Also available is an interactivity add-on that makes it possible to write and draw in the air with your hand by using your finger as a pointer. The interactive FogScreen uses a laser tracker to track hand movements! This turns the passive projection screen into a touch screen, which greatly extends the range of potential applications.

Super Cilia Skin is a tactile and visual system inspired by grass blowing in the wind.

It has the ability to record and playback dynamic gestures over time which could provide a valuable tool for haptic communication – the gesture can be seen or felt (by the movement of the membrane).

More details are available from the web-site at

http://www.rafelandia.com/mas834/scs1.html

and an in-depth paper available at

http://tangible.media.mit.edu/content/papers/pdf/SCS_Textile_053.pdf

Topobo is a 3D constructive assembly system with kinetic memory, which provides the ability to record and playback physical motion.

By snapping together a combination of Passive (static) and Active (motorized) components, people can quickly assemble dynamic biomorphic forms like animals and skeletons, animate those forms by pushing, pulling, and twisting them, and observe the system repeatedly play back those motions.

Created as a project (circa 2004) at the Tangible Media Group at MIT – developed by Amanda Parkes and Hayes Raffle.

http://tangible.media.mit.edu/projects/topobo/

The main web-site is at

http://web.media.mit.edu/~hayes/topobo/

or

http://www.rafelandia.com/topobo/index.html

and a brochure is available from

http://web.media.mit.edu/~hayes/topobo/aec/bookletlowres.pdf

3DIcon is currently developing 3D projection and display technologies that produce full colour 360 degree volumetric images.

http://www.3dicon.net

One of the possible applications envisaged for this technology could be the implementation of an Air Traffic Control system that allows a user to view the entire 3D airspace and its contents in real-time.

CSpace

http://www.3dicon.net/technology/cspace.html

The research team, working at the University of Oklahoma, is developing CSpace a Volumetric Imaging System which will use a clear volumetric medium within which an invisible nano-size material is dispersed. A 3D image is rendered when laser beams directed into the image space excite the nano-materials to emit visible light to construct the image.

So far, the team has been able to create nano-size crystals which exhibit green fluorescence and have been able to embed these particles within a clear host material.

3D-SVD

http://www.3dicon.net/technology/svd.html

3D-SVD (swept volume display) is another technology currently under development. In this case, a three-dimensional image is formed by illuminating a rapidly moving circular screen sweeping a spherical volume. Voxels are rendered at precise locations within the volume over a period of time resulting in a 3D image due to persistence of vision.

Further work will look at improving the resultant image so that it appears more solid with negligible flicker.

… just to complete the round-up of micro-projector news, iView Limited is using the LightView LDP-SVGA microdisplay from Displaytech for their pico-projector.

http://www.iviewdisplay.com

http://www.displaytech.com/

Recent articles suggest the market for these projectors will begin with the embedding of pico-projectors into mobile communication devices, cell phones, digital still and video cameras in 2008-2009 and is a fast growing market sector.

Displaytech has announced that a number of companies are developing pico-projectors incorporating their microdisplay technology.

3M have announced their LED illuminated micro-projector which is designed for use in a mobile phone or other personal electronic device.

Approximately the size of an earpiece, the 3M mobile projection engine uses an advanced Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) imager in conjunction with proprietary 3M optics technology to project an image at 40 inches, or larger, to VGA resolution.

Panasonic, the leading brand from Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co. Ltd  are showing the worlds biggest TV at CES 2008, a 150 inch plasma television with a resolution of 4096×2160.

Press Release: http://www2.panasonic.com/….Content01072008044330094

They have also announced the ability to browse and watch videos from YouTube  and view photos from Picasa Web Albums from the VIERA range of HDTVs which are equipped with VIERA CAST. The first commercially available units are due in the Spring.

Press Release: http://www2.panasonic.com/…Content01072008044142737

In a further announcement, Panasonic have teamed with T-Mobile to develop the first Panasonic LUMIX Wireless Digital camera that incorporates the ability to upload images directly to Picasa Web Albums. After taking your photo you can upload the image through the T-Mobile HotSpot service. You can confirm that the photos have been successfully uploaded and recieve an email containing the URL linking to your photo

Press Release: http://www2.panasonic.com/…Content01072008034000505

Also check out the special Panasonic CES site at

http://www.panasonic.com/cesshow/index.html

Lots of reports appearing on the web coming out from CES 2008.

I’ll note some of those that catch my eye while browsing around.

Fujitsu -  A Fabric PC, based on ideas around electronic paper, is literally a PC made out of fabric …

… reports Engadget at

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/fujitsu-intros-a-handful-of-concept-designs-at-ces-2008/

and a report from Gizmodo at

http://gizmodo.com/341138/fujitsus-fabric-pc-and-three-other-forward+looking-concepts

Further pictures and comment from Wired at
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/01/fujitsus-future.html

Talking about Gizmodo, check out their frequently updated reports on all things happening at CES from

http://gizmodo.com/tag/ces-2008/

Sony has an interesting site specifically for Sony at CES where, amongst other things, you can see some of the first pictures of their OLED television (which has an ultra slim (3mm) 11 inch screen for $2500). They’re also showing a larger 27inch version at the show

The site is worth a browse at

http://www.sony.com/ces/index.html