Technology Information

Light Touch Interactive Projector; Holographic Laser Projection (HLP) "How it Works": Update on Light Blue Optics (Videos, links)

Light Touch Interactive Projector; Holographic Laser Projection (HLP) "How it Works": Update on Light Blue Optics (Videos, links)


Light Touch Interactive Projector; Holographic Laser Projection (HLP) "How it Works": Update on Light Blue Optics (Videos, links)

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:56 AM PST

It has been about a year since I wrote about Light Blue Optics, "a privately-funded company developing and supplying miniature projection systems for use in high volume applications in markets including automotive, digital signage and consumer electronics." Light Blue Optics is located in Cambridge, UK, and has a development facility in Colorado Springs.


Light Touch Interactive Projector


Holographic Laser Projection (HLP): How it Works




RELATED
A Touch Screen Table
Brendan O'Brian, QSR 11/23/10

"Light Blue Optics, which rolled out the Light Touch in January, is working with several restaurant chains to put its technology on tables..."You can project menus onto the table so the customer can sit down and order their meal," says Tamara Roukaerts, director of marketing communications at Light Blue Optics. "They can also watch videos of the chef preparing their meal through a live video feed.""
Light Blue Optics turns KFC tables into touch screens
Roland Gribben, The Telegraph 10/11/10


HLP technology, and how it can be used for practical purposes, is further explained in the following white papers:
Buckley, E., Lacoste, L., Stindt, D. Rear-view virtual image displays. SID (Society for Information Display), Vehicles and Photons - 16th Annual Symposium on Vehicle Displays, 10/15/09
Abstract: "Light Blue Optics holographic laser projection technology can be utilised to create a virtual image display which, with a volume enclosing less than 700cc, exhibits a form-factor consistent with integration into a rear-view mirror. By combining the visual accommodation and concomitant reaction time benefits of a head-up display with the ability to present high resolution safety-critical information in a rear-view off-axis configuration with large eyebox, significant potential safety benefits can result."


Buckley, E., Tindt, D., Isele, R.  Novel Human-Machine Interface (HMI) Design Enabled by Holographic Laser Projection SID 2009 Symposium, 6/2/09

Abstract: "Despite the current proliferation of in-car flat panel displays, designers continue to investigate alternatives to flat and rectangular thin-film transistor (TFT) panels – principally to obtain differentiation by freedom of design using, for example, free-form shapes, round displays, flexible displays or mechanical 3D solutions. A perfect demonstration was provided at the 2008 Paris Motor Show by the BMW Mini Center Globe, a novel instrument cluster design which combines lighting, a circular flat panel and a holographic laser projector provided by Light Blue Optics (LBO) to redefine the state of the art in human-machine interface (HMI)...In this paper, the authors will show how the incorporation of LBO's holographic laser projection technology can allow the construction of a unique display technology like the Mini Center Globe, and how such a combination of technologies represents a significant advance in the current state of the art in automotive displays."
The Story Behind this Post
I was having one of my occasional vivid "technology dreams" just before my dog woke me up in the middle of the night tonight.  I was driving around in a futuristic car that had all sorts of cool technologies, including a holographic side-view mirror, similar to the one I blogged about in a 2009 post about Blue Light Optics.  This inspired me take a quick look at what the company is doing now.  


The dream that entertained me tonight was probably triggered by what I read just before I went to sleep- a call for papers posted by Albrecht Schmidt on Facebook: "Call for Papers - Theme Issue on Automotive User Interfaces for an upcoming edition of Personal and Ubiquitous Computing.   If you are curious,   here's an example of one of my blog posts that was inspired by one of my geek-tech-dreams:  "Last Night I Dreamt about Haptic Touch Screen Overlays".  

Raymond.CC Blog - Verify Active Directory FRS Replication using Ultrasound

Raymond.CC Blog - Verify Active Directory FRS Replication using Ultrasound


Verify Active Directory FRS Replication using Ultrasound

Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST


FRS Replication is very important in Active Directory. If there is any inconsistency replication between any of the domain controllers, it may cause the Active Directory environment to become unhealthy, and it may also cause serious issues such as, cannot perform changes, unable to create objects in Active Directory, database between domain controllers is not [...]

Telling a Story: Slideshow of Old/Historical Content (North Carolina)

Telling a Story: Slideshow of Old/Historical Content (North Carolina)


Telling a Story: Slideshow of Old/Historical Content (North Carolina)

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 09:35 AM PST

I don't usually share much about my family on this blog, but I was so impressed by my daughter's photos of historical and old/run-down structures that I had to post a slideshow of what she's passionate about.


Lauren is a history buff and enjoys exploring around to take pictures of anything old that has a story.   Whatever it takes!



The photos in the slideshow were taken with a Sony SLR, with no extra equipment.  None of the photos are photo-shopped. 


Lauren is great at "point and shoot",  and her technique draws the viewer in to her personal POV.  Lauren just had a little baby, so it might be a little while until she can finish researching the stories behind her photos.  When she does, I'll be sure  to share her finished work!


(If you were wondering, Lauren stopped going on risky explorations after she learned a baby was on the way.)

Digital Newspaper from News Corp, for the iPad (via physorg, Guardian)

Digital Newspaper from News Corp, for the iPad (via physorg, Guardian)


Digital Newspaper from News Corp, for the iPad (via physorg, Guardian)

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 03:49 AM PST

iPad 'newspaper created by Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch
Apple and News Corp reportedly set to launch joint iPad news publication exclusively via download  Edward Helmore,  Guardian Weekender, 11/21/10


"According to the US elite fashion industry journal Women's Wear Daily, the Murdoch-Jobs "newspaper" will be run from the 26th floor of the News Corp offices in New York, where 100 journalist have been hired, including Pete Picton, an online editor from the Sun, as one of three managing editors. The editor of the Daily has not been announced, but observers are assuming it will be Jesse Angelo, the managing editor of the New York Post and rising star in the News Corp firmament." -Edward Helmore

Rupert Murdoch Does Another Daily
John Koblin, WWD 11/19/10

SOMEWHAT RELATED
Here's a video clip of a recent interview of Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. Chairman & CEO discusses countries with the greatest growth for business. "Our best growth industry is in this country (US)" (Rupert Murdoch reportedly admires Steve Job and likes the iPad.)

Xbox Kinect Interactive Puppet Prototype, from Theo Watson and Emily Gobeille (design.io) & Update on Funky Forest

Xbox Kinect Interactive Puppet Prototype, from Theo Watson and Emily Gobeille (design.io) & Update on Funky Forest


Xbox Kinect Interactive Puppet Prototype, from Theo Watson and Emily Gobeille (design.io) & Update on Funky Forest

Posted: 20 Nov 2010 12:27 AM PST

I came across the following video on a post on the  Creative Applications blog about the Theo Watson and Emily Gobeille's  recent work with OpenFrameworks, Kinect, and an interactive puppet prototoype:

Interactive Puppet Prototype with Xbox Kinect from Theo Watson on Vimeo.

I'm not surprised that Theo Watson and Emily (design.io) decided to experiment with the XBox Kinect. I can't wait to see what they will create for Kinect in the future, based on their previous work --   A couple of years ago I wrote a post about their enchanting interactive installation, "Funky Forest":  OpenFrameworks & Interactive Multimedia:  Funky Forest Installation for CinKid


You can see from the video of their Funky Forest installation (2007 CinKid) that they create engaging interactive applications:

Funky Forest - Interactive Ecosystem from Theo Watson on Vimeo.
(Information from Theo Watson's Vimeo site)
"Funky Forest is a wild and crazy ecosystem where children manage the resources to influence the environment around them. By using their bodies or pillow "rocks" and "logs", water flowing from the digital stream on the floor can be dammed and diverted to the forest to make different parts grow. If a tree does not receive enough water it withers away but by pressing their bodies into the forest children create new trees based on their shape and character. As children explore and play they discover that the environment is inhabited by a variety of sonic life forms and creatures who appear and disappear depending on the health of the forest. As the seasons change the creatures also go through a metamorphosis."
Credits:
Theodore Watson
Emily Gobeille
Project Page:
muonics.net/​site_docs/​work.php?id=41
zanyparade.com/​v8/​projects.php?id=12


Note:  A version of Funky Forest, Moomah Edition, is permanently installed in New York City at the Moomah Children's Cafe. This version includes interactive environments related to the four seasons of the year, including an interactive particle system with falling leaves and snow.


FOR THE TECH-CURIOUS
Libfreenect for OX, by Theodore Watson

XBox Kinect running on OS X ( with source code ) from Theo Watson on Vimeo.
The following information and links were taken from the Vimeo description of the above video:  
"This is a port/adaptation of Hector Martin's libfreenect for OS X made by Theodore Watson.
Hector Martin's Libfreenect project page is here:  git.marcansoft.com/​?p=libfreenect.git
Most of the code is unchanged but there are some changes to libusb which was needed to get it running (and a few extra libusb commands) as well as some tweaking of the transfer sizes.
It should be self contained and you shouldn't need to install libusb (the app links it directly ).
Grab the Source Code:
UPDATE:
(Tested on OS X 10.6.3 - 32bit now and with fixes)
theo.tw/​deliver/​kinect/​001-libfreenect-modded-osx-updated.zip
ofxKinect for OF users - thanks Dan!
openframeworks.cc/​forum/​viewtopic.php?p=24948#p24948
Tips:
- Try both usb ports.
- Try not to have too many other devices plugged in (or any)."


(Check the Vimeo website to see if there are updates)


OpenFrameworks Forum
http://www.openframeworks.cc/forum/


RELATED
Presentation about Funky Forest  (ThisHappened)

Emily Gobeille & Theo Watson talk about Funky Forest from This happened – Utrecht on Vimeo.

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