Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Lifeblood And Beta Tank Bubble-Based 'Stereo Tanks'
Lifeblood is an unusual bubble-tank imaging system created by artist Stephanie Andrews. Lifeblood was exhibited at the G2 gallery in Chicago. Beta Tank is a more recent project that emphasizes more precise bubble "texting."
(Lifeblood bubble tank sculpture)
Lifeblood consists of a large tank of water; bubbles are released from 64 valves at the bottom of the tank. The valves are controlled by computer program/MIDI control board.
The software orchestrates the release of the bubbles, using them as "pixels." Directional lighting causes the bubble "pixels" to shine. The bubbles form recognizable forms as they float upward; when the bubbles pop at the surface of the tank, the image decays. Microphones record the chaotic image decay and relay it to surround speakers in the exhibit walls.
This creation is an alternative three-dimensional imaging system that plays with the inherently beautiful qualities of air and water. The animated visual and auditory rhythms of Lifeblood are a meditation on the essential importance of these elements. This piece emphasizes the highlights that occur on the delicate surfaces of the bubbles. drawing attention to the rich borderlands where the two elements are brought in contact with each other.
Beta Tank is a similar project created by Daniel Kupfer and Eyal Burstein. I like the Lifeblood project better because it is a 3D display, but Beta Tank has some excellent engineering behind it. The biggest challenge for the designers was to overcome the problem of "drafting" (the first bubble experiences more friction and eventually the next bubble in the series catches up with the first and the image is ruined). To fix the problem, Beta-tank uses a highly viscous liquid similar to shampoo in order to obtain a workable refresh rate.
(Beta Tank texting [video in HTML frame])
The reason I put the phrase "stereo tank" in the title to this article is to honor Robert Heinlein's stereo tank from his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land:
"If we don't show the Man from Mars in the stereo tanks pretty shortly, you'll have riots on your hands, Mr. Secretary."
(Read more about Heinlein's stereo tank)
He also refers to it as a stereovision in what is probably the earliest description of a "screensaver" that you are likely to find.
Stephanie Andrews is a University of Washington graduate; her current research involves creating sculptural work from motion-capture data, alternative platforms for multi-dimensional kinetic animation, and nanograffiti. Read more about her at stephnet and more about lifeblood. See also the cool beta tank video. Thanks to Reg.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/23/2006)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 1 )
Related News Stories - (" Display ")
Did Frank Herbert Predict Bistable Displays Like E-Ink?
'A broken circle with arrows pointing to a right-hand flow appeared in the chalf.' - Frank Herbert, 1964.
I Need An Outdoor Spherical Display
'Usually a spherical display hovered in the centre...' - Iain M. Banks, 2010.
Outdoor Video Screens Can Be Arbitrarily Large
The Shape of Things To Come, HG Wells, 1936.
iPhone Air Fulfils Jobs' Promise From 2007 - A Giant Screen!
'... oblongs were all over the floor and surfaces.' - Kazuo Ishiguro, 2021.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Warfare Goes Underground In Ukraine
'Once in the very first weeks of the war, before everyone had been evacuated from the surface...'
3D Printed Organs From Space
'For a while your colonists will have to come up to the [orbital] Hospital...'
Robot Bees 3D Printed By Festo
'At first I was struck by the large size of these bees..'
DIY Robot Scorpion Crushes It
'...it raised its front end off the ground and waved its antennae at them, then raised one armoured claw as if to snip them out of the sky.'
How To Settle An Argument Between Two Robots
'Henry... assumed the curious absent look of a robot talking on the TBR circuits.'
The Wind Phone Calls Those Who Have Passed On
'Only I heard that!'
Don't Want To Wear A TIght Shiny Bodysuit?
'He looked a good bit like an elderly, fat beetle.'
Light Society: Simulates Earth-Scale Society With A Billion AI Agents
'The king, an old hand in the running of tyrannies, instantly grasped the directions...'
Satyress Centaur Robot Horror Reminds Everyone Of Something
'Fess was very dutiful'
When Colds Threaten You Can't Do This - Or Can You?
'...a hemispherical force field enclosing his head.'
Beautiful Visualization of Dawn Spacecraft
'Then he became aware of a gentle pressure pushing him away from the ship.'
Biological War: A Scenario
'And now they wre busily transforming all their companions, and so on, and so on...'
Pole-Dancing Stripperbot Robot
'Why, a clockwork dancer, or, better still, one that would go by electricity and never run down...'
Collective Superintelligence Is At Hand!
'Maybe the individual intelligence of each Cubic pools into a group intelligence...'
Instant Journalists: Ordinary People With Cell Phones
'We'll show them whose planet this is!'
Health Kiosk Has No Human Doctor
'The electronic body analyzer had been developed...'
