Digital Human Replicas

CG Models Are Eerily Life Like Robots

The person in this video looks real, but she isn’t. This image is a digital replica of actress Emily O’Brien, created by Image Metrics and Paul Debevec at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) - and it’s awesome.

The hardcore techy bit is that they used this to demonstrate the high-definition animated face at a recent conference.

I am not technologically minded, and can’t pretend I am, so I’ll let the press release explain.

Emilyimagemetttt ICT employed its high-resolution face scanning process to capture O’Brien in 35 facial poses directed by Image Metrics. This newest process from the ICT Graphics Lab places the actor inside a sphere of LED lights, illuminating the talent with a set of polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns while a pair of high-resolution digital cameras takes around 15 photographs in under three seconds.

These patterns allow the shine of the skin to be photographed independently from the main skin tone so that precise colors and characteristics can be calculated at hundreds of measurements per square millimeter. The resulting CG models provide unprecedented detail of natural facial expressions - down to skin pores and fine wrinkles - with perfectly aligned shading information that allows photo-real faces to be rendered under any illumination and viewpoint with standard rendering packages.

Sources: image-metrics boingboing.net

Illuminating Lip Gloss

Lanolip Pure Illumination Hydrating Lip Therapy Can Be Applied in the Dark

Lanolip Pure Illumination hydrating lip therapy is a lighted lip gloss system that comes with a hundred-hour LED light and mirror. The light-up feature allows users to apply the lip gloss with confidence even in the dark.

The lip gloss is a combination of natural ingredients, medical-grade lanolin, jojoba, sweet almond oil, and vitamin E. It is available in three colors, Brown Frost, Wine Berry and Pouty Pink. There are special colors too: Holiday Red and Clear Gold Frost will join the standard three for the winter holiday season.

MEDICAL-GRADE LANOLIN: Hydrates - lips feel and look healthy Protects - lips won’t crack or dry out Absorbs - lips continue to look nourished Moisturizes - lips stay fresh and shiny longer Restores - lips stay soft and natural (pureillumination)

Sources: pureillumination, treehugger

LED Tattoos

Silk Silicon Chip Implants Turn Your Arm Into a TV

There is a new tattoo coming soon to a body part near you. LED Tattoos, are being developed by Researchers from MIT, the University of Pennsylvania and Illinois. Unlike traditional inked tattoos, the LED tattoos main purpose won’t be to make a fashion statement.

The initial planned uses are for medical purposes, like displaying blood-sugar readings on skin. This is made possible by embedding an electronic silicon transistor under the skin. The main research focus is on epilepsy, but also encompasses “implantable neurodevices, functional neurosurgery, network and computational neuroscience, movement disorders, intra-operative and ICU monitoring, major mental illness, and other brain network disorders.”

I’m all for medical advances, but when I read articles where the brain is impacted, I get a little creeped out.

Animated and programmable LED tattoos connected to your brain? You could show off your latest Flash animations, watch TV on your arm, or have a built-in PDA screen. The possibilities are endless. (hplusmagazine)

Sources: hplusmagazine

Digital Interactive Teaching Tools

'Pas a Pas' Promotes Learning Through Use of Everyday Objects

The ‘Pas a Pas’ interactive education tool is a fantastic new product that promotes learning through a digital board, camera and interface. Using the objects provided, and other objects, children can learn simple things like shapes, or more complex things like using stop motion animation to create movies.

Three main modes are programmed: Assisting (guides students to place objects in a certain way, and progresses to helping them learn to create realistic animations with stop motion), Directing (children create their own movies), and Collection (children watch previously recorded movies).

Sources: ishback psfk

Digital Interactive Teaching Tools

'Pas a Pas' Promotes Learning Through Use of Everyday Objects

The ‘Pas a Pas’ interactive education tool is a fantastic new product that promotes learning through a digital board, camera and interface. Using the objects provided, and other objects, children can learn simple things like shapes, or more complex things like using stop motion animation to create movies.

Three main modes are programmed: Assisting (guides students to place objects in a certain way, and progresses to helping them learn to create realistic animations with stop motion), Directing (children create their own movies), and Collection (children watch previously recorded movies).

Sources: ishback psfk