daqri

Observing Cabs on a Regular Tuesday

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:35:36 -0700

As a result of participating in the prototyping weekend conducted during UPSingapore, I was able to massage and mangle a number of datasets, graciously made available by private and public organisations. One of the datasets that I managed to sink my teeth into was the collection of geocoded cab data collected over a 24 hour period on the 15 of May 2012 for 15,694 cabs.

From the data, I was hoping to observe the behavioural patterns of cabs in Singapore.

"“Producing and selling a product that is well-designed or badly designed costs exactly the same..."

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:17:20 -0700

“

“Producing and selling a product that is well-designed or badly designed costs exactly the same amount of money,” says Bertazzoni, the fifth generation of his family to run the company. “Style is part of the products we manufacture.”

This is from an awesome article on high end ovens from Northern Italy. Inspiration can come from anywhere!

”

- http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-13/an-italian-oven-maker-feels-the-heat-of-the-euro-crisis

Can Medical Games in 3D Improve Your Health? We don’t know...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:21:00 -0700

Can Medical Games in 3D Improve Your Health?

We don’t know for sure, but they’re really fun and definitely informative. 3D medical imaging company ION Medical Designs has created three interactive games intended to showcase their graphics capabilities and medical know-how. At the time of writing, we could only get the one to work: Sepsis, the premise of which is to learn about a medical condition and play the role of a macrophage, engulfing invading bacteria and protecting the patient’s blood pressure level. It’s super fun and in terms of difficultly, about on par with a few other favorite time-waster games like TextTwist, except playing this game actually teaches you about your immune system. Rad!

So Flipping Cool: AR Sandboxes with Virtual Water Simulation The...

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:41:14 -0700

So Flipping Cool: AR Sandboxes with Virtual Water Simulation

The UC Davis W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences built this incredible demonstration of interactive AR topography with funding from the National Science Foundation. The demonstration uses Microsoft Kinect as well as water flow simulations based on the Saint-Venant set of shallow water equations.

These AR sandboxes will be set up as hands-on exhibits in science museums including the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC).

"Companies that build digital products and services are engaging in a new level of competition;..."

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:10:24 -0700

“Companies that build digital products and services are engaging in a new level of competition; it’s no longer good enough to deliver a usable product. Our designs must reach an aspirational vision that elevates the experience beyond mere usability.”

- http://www.cooper.com/journal/2012/05/elevating_the_brand_and_visual.html

Levitation: Baby Steps An exciting new project from MIT Media...

Sun, 13 May 2012 14:46:00 -0700

Levitation: Baby Steps

An exciting new project from MIT Media Lab holds the promise of being able to control and levitate the objects around you, opening new doorways for digital and physical interactions with your environment.

Says creator Jinha Lee, ”ZeroN is a physical and digital interaction element that floats and moves in space by computer-controlled magnetic levitation.” Interaction options include physical playback of gestures, physical manipulation of 3D trajectories, camera recording along 3D paths and lighting viewpoints. While these interactions are occurring inside a lab today, let’s hope it won’t remain that way forever. Watch the video to learn more about the technology behind this amazing process.

What am I most excited about? The fact that the day when I can say, “Accio ZeroN!” only seems to be getting closer.

‘Welcome to the Anthropocene’ Earth Animation This...

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:34:52 -0700

‘Welcome to the Anthropocene’ Earth Animation

This 3-minute video is simply stunning, you won’t be able to take your eyes off it. I highly recommend watching it in full-screen mode. The visual execution is superb, and the data that unfolds contains thought-provoking insights about our impact on the planet. A question comes to mind: are we nearing an age where our technology can support a more lightweight visual impact, or will the lines criss-crossing the planet only increase as a new private space industry starts to gain its footing?

About the project:

Welcome to the Anthropocene, commissioned by the London Planet Under Pressure conference, provides a data visualization of the state of the planet. It opens at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. As the camera swoops over Earth, viewers watch the planetary impact of humanity: cities, roads, railways, pipelines, cables and shipping lanes until finally the world’s planes spin a fine web around the planet. The film is produced as part of the world’s first educational portal on the Anthropocene.

"To be human is to be a user (and maker and remaker) of technology."

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:07:00 -0700

“To be human is to be a user (and maker and remaker) of technology.”

- Alexis Madrigal

16th Century Amsterdam in 3D Amsterdam-based studio PlusOne has...

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:27:17 -0800

16th Century Amsterdam in 3D

Amsterdam-based studio PlusOne has completed an intriguing project for the Amsterdam Museum: a series of stunning videos that bring the viewer into the physical, political and religious milieu of one of the most important port cities of the 16th century.

3D art has the unique quality of feeling extremely immersive and immediate, which is why it is a fantastic way to introduce people to a historical setting in full color!

The creative team behind the production spoke with Motionographer for an in-depth interview, be sure to check out the original post for more details, photos and videos.

The Future of Science

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:11:26 -0800

The Future of Science

Awe-Inspiring: An Interactive, Musical Starry Night Greek...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:20:43 -0800

Awe-Inspiring: An Interactive, Musical Starry Night

Greek artist Petros Vrellis has successfully taken our breath away. We love seeing art and tech come together, and this homage to a great master is nothing short of wondrous. Opening up an old favorite to so many new possibilities, while still retaining the majesty and integrity of the original work, is no easy feat. Petros, we hope you make a habit of it!

Scientists Are Building Robot Dinosaurs Out Of 3-D Printed Fossils

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:00:36 -0800

Scientists Are Building Robot Dinosaurs Out Of 3-D Printed Fossils :

An unexpected new technique is starting to take hold amongst archaeologists: using lasers to determine the dimension of bones and then 3D printing them to create a full dino skeleton. It’s simple, effective, brilliant, and should have happened a long time ago!

MakerBot is so awesome.

The Return of the Mechanical Turk, And the Uses of Magic

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:54:05 -0800

The Return of the Mechanical Turk, And the Uses of Magic:

This magical story begins with inventor and magician Wolfgang von Kempelen’s parlor demonstrations in eighteenth century Vienna, and continues today through a curious turn of events and a California man’s passion for the awe-inspiring Mechanical Turk, an impressive contraption which appears to intelligently play chess by mechanical means alone.

Since the artifact was lost in a fire in 1854, its mysterious inner workings have remained a topic of much speculation. Until now.

After years of research and study, magic-maker and automaton-collector John Gaughan has painstakingly rebuilt the Turk. Gaughan keeps a reliquary shop in Atwater, CA and has a wealth of knowledge, delightful anecdotes, little-known facts, and a master’s experience with magical automatons and cabinetry, Houdini-esque escape hatches, optical illusions, and levitating carpets (and teddy bears).

It’s fascinating how powerful confidence and belief can be. Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first computer experienced the Mechanical Turk in the 1770’s. Says Gaughan,

People then didn’t know it was an illusion. They thought it was a thinking machine. And Babbage thought: “My god, if they can build a machine that plays chess, I should be able to make a machine that that can execute various rational functions.”

So this very powerful illusion could be part of what inspired Babbage as well as Jaquard, the inventor of the mechanical loom, to have the courage to innovate on such a great scale. It turns out magic has its uses, after all.

Do click through and read the entire interview with Gaughan, it’s well worth it.

Keeping Royalty Fresh: The World’s First Augmented...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:41:17 -0800

Keeping Royalty Fresh: The World’s First Augmented Coin

Can you think of anything more traditional than a federal money-making mint, and a Royal one at that? Yet in a delightful turn of events, the Royal Canadian Mint got a breath of fresh air, topped with a breath mint last night. The Mint has sourced internationally renowned artist Gary Taxali to design six new limited edition collector’s quarters. And to spice things up further, our fearless leader Brian Mullins teamed up with visionary augmented reality researcher Helen Papagiannis to develop the world’s first Augmented Reality coin. Helen and Brian created a one-of-a-kind experience that guests were treated to during an evening celebration last night at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.

To learn more, head over to our full blog post here: http://j.mp/xQSao8

Vergence Labs: Bioelectric human computer interfaces

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:43:00 -0800

Vergence Labs: Bioelectric human computer interfaces :

Erick Miller and Jon Rodriguez are two young, driven startup founders. What sets them apart from the sea of young entrepreneurs with big dreams? For starters, their near term goal is to make an Iron Man suit. Long term, they’re thinking cyborgs.

This is Jon Rodriguez giving a prototype demo.

Check out their website and keep an eye out for Kickstarter campaigns to fund their sci-fi-like projects. In the meantime, see their latest release, social-media enabled goggles that recognize your friends’ faces:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/2/prweb9188672.htm

How Robots See the World A fascinating compilation of clips from...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:17:50 -0800

How Robots See the World

A fascinating compilation of clips from different robots around the world, built for a variety of purposes. Forget your human sensibilities for a while, and enjoy a view of the world with new, digitized eyes.

Swarming: a collective behavior exhibited by animals of similar...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:06:57 -0800

Swarming: a collective behavior exhibited by animals of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot or perhaps moving en masse in some direction.

Sweet augmented reality still from Avatar. Nice graphs and...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:20:05 -0800

Sweet augmented reality still from Avatar. Nice graphs and charts! But the coup de grace? Home Tree itself of course.

Last June, the BBC did an article purporting that one of the...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:01:22 -0800

Last June, the BBC did an article purporting that one of the great promises of augmented reality would be the ability to watch Lady Gaga perform in your living room.

Austereo Digital recently launched a campaign that does essentially that – represents a series of musicians and artists in 3D augmented reality and allows the viewer to experience performances wherever they have access to a desktop computer.

Band in Your Hand created a cause campaign for the major Australian retailer Cotton On and raised money for an Australian charity that helps youth combat depression.

To learn more about how augmented reality is changing music on our blog —> click here.

This concept looks awesome. Excited to see this level of...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:27:00 -0800

This concept looks awesome. Excited to see this level of creativity coming together from so many different angles - augmented reality does best when approached from a multi-disciplinary perspective. Sports + engineering + design + AR = truly meaningful uses of AR. Check it out!

oceantokyo:

Gosta’’ glasses cheers for Google

In an article on ReadWriteWeb, Marshall Kirkpatrick declares that Google augmented reality glasses could come soon and continues to ask; what do they mean?

A couple of months ago we showed exactly this. Our Gosta’’ glasses (on YouTube) is one possible scenario for how the much debated “nerdglasses” actually could have a great meaning and value to the common man, rather than being a weapon in the defence industry or used in unnatural and forced situations where they only appear as awkward.

During the Innovative Sweden exhibition at Stanford in the beginning of November Ocean Observations showed what we believe is the future of training. The vision of the augmented reality enabled lightweight glasses is carefully designed based on our own experiences and emotions from being runners, skiers and bikers.

Plenty of stories from exercising have been woven into the concept and we believe these glasses are far more meaningful to the athlete than smartphones and pulse watches. Read our story here.

At the time we figured that our idea of connected glasses wouldn’t be realised in 3-4 years at least, but now it seems like the future is closer than we thought! Google goggles have leaked and rumours say they are actually almost the same size and shape as ordinary glasses.

“Our source tells us that this is what Google is building. They are in late prototype stages of wearable glasses that look similar to thick-rimmed glasses that “normal people” wear. However, these provide a display with a heads up computer interface. There are a few buttons on the arms of the glasses, but otherwise, they could be mistaken for normal glasses.”

These types of glasses can obviously enhance the experience of services and be useful in many different situations. As designers, strategists or engineers we just need to make sure we are equipped with enough insights in order to create meaningful services for users ready to go goggling. We are getting there, are you?