Best at Siggraph 2007

From August 7 to 9, the annual exhibition of achievements in the field of computer graphics and visualization technologies Siggraph 2007 was held in San Diego . Traditionally, the most spectacular part of the exhibition is the experimental development section in related technology fields ( Emerging Technologies section ). It is here that you can find amazing, even meaningless, devices with the most innovative design, which somewhat go beyond the main specialization of the exhibition. BBC News tech journalist visited this high-tech reserve and chose the most interesting .

Byu-Byu Wind Screen
Sometimes there are not enough words for communication, but I want to hear the breath of the interlocutor whom you see on the monitor. But how is this possible if you are separated by a computer screen? The Byu-Byu system is designed for just that. This is a screen that transmits the interlocutor of the movement of air. You are blowing on this side - and the interlocutor can feel the breeze if he bends to the monitor.

Behind the screen are 64 sensors that capture the strength and direction of the wind. Small fans are attached here, from which air flows through a thin hose with a controlled plug ( photo) They can let a weak breeze or a strong directed air flow in the face of the user, depending on how much the plug is loosened. In Japanese, “byu-byu” means howling wind. True, there are no howls, but it sounds beautiful.

Perhaps the most romantic application for such a screen is the ability to blow out the candles on the cake on your birthday when you are thousands of kilometers from home.

Freqtric tactile sensor
Another Freqtric Japanese development is the Freqtric tactile sensor. If two partners are clamped on such a sensor in the palms of their hands, then the system will pick up any contact, no matter what part of the body they touch each other. We already talked about the erotic version of a similar game. Here, the development is more advanced. The technology is based on the fact that human skin transmits current, so that in case of touch, the electrical network closes - and there is a microdischarge, which is recorded by the device.



In principle, such devices can be integrated under the skin of people who are forbidden to touch each other.

Hand weights translator
device Gravity Grabber created in order to improve the realism of virtual worlds. Add to them what virtuality is so lacking: gravity. This device translates offline virtual gravitons, that is, it emulates the severity of small virtual objects.

The device consists of several rings and motors that are worn on the fingers. Rotating in different directions, the motors create pressure on the fingers and hand, emulating the weight of virtual objects.

Ball joystick
Another alternative to a mouse, remote control or game joystick: Soap . Ideal for playing at a distance from the screen, standing or lying, holding the ball in one hand.

In fact, the joystick is a modified mouse with the same optical sensor, but covered with fabric, which you need to move and press with your finger. Of all these devices, this is the first, created not by the Japanese, but by the Americans from Microsoft Research.

Walking Boots String Walker
Interfacefor realistic movement in virtual reality by trampling in special shoes. Each of the “boots-walkers” is tied with four strings to special sensors that capture the movement of shoes and translate them into virtuality. The strings are extremely strong, so the walker cannot get out of the circle, but is able to spin around its axis and make other complex movements: march, turn around the corner, etc. In this regard, the developers even recommend using this simulator for training cadets of a military academy.