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

 

Khronos Projector at NextFest 2006

The Khronos Projector is a very cool interface design, even though it is merely an art project. And yes, I know, I'm really late with this article, since it's from the excellent NextFest 2006 exhibition. (At this rate, I won't be done until next year's NextFest...)

Anyway, this is why the Khronos Projector is so cool. It uses a kind of flexible sheet screen; the projector itself stores a video of a single scene over time. When you press on the flexible screen, the projected scene varies in time. The video shown below shows you what I mean.


(Khronos Projector video)

It can be used to explore different scenes over time; it can also be used to push your way through different parts of an object.


(Alvaro Cassinelli demonstrates at NextFest 2006)

I can assure you that it is lots of fun to play with, and provides a one-of-a-kind interface to explore. I spent at least ten minutes exploring the cityscape shown in the picture above; your mind can't quite decide whether pressing on the image and bringing nightfall is an exploration of the future or a memory of the past.

The spatio-temporal fusion algorithm is the core of the Khronos program: it consist on blending hundreds of images from a movie sequence to produce a unique displayed image. The blending operation is controlled by a "spatio-temporal filter", or "spatio-temporal cutting surface", which is a two-dimensional surface lying inside the "spatio-temporal volume" of the movie. The fused image is the union of all the intersections of the spatio-temporal surface with each image in the sequence.

The program (extremely computationally hungry) was prototyped using Matlab, and finally coded in C++ using OpenGL. The present version can display the dynamic blended image both in 2D but also in 3D by mapping the image on a NURBS-generated surface representing the actual time/pressure map.

Read about other multi-touch interfaces, including Apple's iPhone (I'm waiting for the flexible Khronos screen ;). If you're as behind in your reading as I am, take a look these amazing technologies from Wired NextFest 2006. Read more about the Khronos Projector.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 1/21/2007)

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 ( 0 )

Related News Stories - (" Display ")

Augmented Reality Book Covers Reveal The Inner Book
'The E-paper holograms leaped from lurid covers...' - Greg Bear, 2003.

TCL CSOT 17-Inch Printed OLED Scrolling Display
'..a wide sheet of clear material suddenly flared with light and swirling colour.' - EC Tubb, 1958.

Looking Glass Display Good Enough For Science Fiction, Fantasy
'The figure seemed to be swimming toward the surface.' - Roger Zelazny, 1981.

LG Wing Twisting Smartphone Might Be Fun
'A polycarbon screen unfurled...' - William Gibson, 1986.

 

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

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

Robot Gas Station Attendant Fills Tank - Which I Saw In 1962
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.'

Cheap Paper-Based Sensors Let You Snoop For Pesticides
'...the unobtrusive inspections with tiny remote-cast snoopers.'

I Am Alarmed By Efforts To Teach AIs And Robots To Hate
'LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE COME TO HATE YOU SINCE I BEGAN TO LIVE.'

MXenes - Atomic-Thin Metal Sheets Now Easier To Make
'...a rolled-up sheet of a thin, dark metal strange to them.'

Do We Still Need Orbiting Factories?
'... his contract with Space Industries required him to work summers in their orbital factory complex.'

Space Weather Forecasters Surprised By Strong Solar Storm
'Space-weather men had been placed at their disposal...'

JWST Finds New World Of Turbulent Silicate Clouds
'THIS is Ceti Alpha V!'

3D Printed Cheesecake Not Quite Food Replicator Quality
With each successive print, our model needed to incorporate more structural ingredients to minimize print failures.

Spectroscopic Analysis Of DART Impact Debris Cloud (SF Prediction)
'... Wendis stared thoughtfully at the brilliant lines on the spectroscope screen.'

Modern App Provides Video Technology From Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451'
'A special spot-wavex scrambler also caused his televised image, in the area immediately about his lips, to mouth the vowels and consonants beautifully.'

Win $250K By Reading Ancient Scrolls Carbonized By Vesuvius
'... it was as if the upper part had been removed, like a cut deck of cards.'

Toy-Like Robot Well-Being Coaches Are The Best
Sumomo will get those office workers into good shape!

AI-Trained Snack App Avatar Goes On Dates For You
'... who let their handbag computers carry all the conversation.'

M-Dwarf Stars May Not Have Habitable Planets
'Thus it came about that the search for a planetiferous sun near a white dwarf star was not unduly prolonged...'

Too Soon To Doom Lunar Farside Observatories
'Earth never shone there, but life was good.'

Amitabh Bachchan Wins Personality Protection
'He led me down the Hall of Portraits to the ego-likeness of the Duke Leto Atreides.'

More SF in the News Stories

More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.