3D Research and Application（在线收听）

Cutting-edge 3D technology is changing the way Hollywood makes movies - but away from the world of showbiz this technology is also having an impact on everyday life. Surgeons are now able to perform life-saving operations across continents, and floating telepresence blimps may soon change the way we communicate online.

 
Ever since James Cameron's multi-billion dollar film Avatar stunned audiences around the world, it's clear that 3D technology is here to stay. A number of innovative companies are now moving the technology forward even further.

A US company, Organic Motion, has created a real-time, marker-less motion capture system. The technology can capture actors' movements in large spaces without them having to attach any kind of restrictive mapping devices to their bodies.

Andrew Tschesnok, CEO of Organic Motion says anyone can step into the system and be tracked without going through the tedious process of putting on suits.

"So, for instance, the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, we helped out with the Avatar exhibit. So, James Cameron set up a system where people can just walk in, and become Na'vi. They walk around, and there's even a scene where you touch the plants; they all disappear like in that one scene where the monster comes out. So it's really cool, because someone off the street can come in and experience that type of technology."

Elsewhere, Disney Research has devised a way of beaming 3D images into virtually any type of space. The invention could change the way we display photographs, artwork and more; making them vibrant parts of our homes, offices and living spaces.

The French have mastered the art of making crepes. By teaching others to mix, grill and flip pancakes in a virtual world, however, scientists from France's National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control are hoping to offer much more than cooking lessons.

By interacting with fluids - butter, maple syrup and caramel - technology known as haptics and force feedback allows people using the device to actually feel as if they were cooking in real life.

It's an entertaining way of experiencing this cutting-edge technology, but Gabriel Cirio from France's National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control says it has a number of practical applications.

"We can foresee this kind of technology in medical simulators, like for surgery, virtual surgery where you need blood, you need bodily fluids, and so you can feel the force feedback coming from this interaction; to train surgeons. Also for industrial manipulation, where you need to train people to manipulate dangerous fluids or expensive fluids, so you have this training part, you use virtual stuff, which doesn't cost."

A team of Japanese scientists have created a floating telepresence blimp that could revolutionize the way we communicate online.

When most of use Skype, and other similar programs, we usually use our laptops or hand-held devices. The way of the future, however, may be to project our facial images onto floating devices.

Hiraoki Tobita from Sony Computer Science Laboratories in Japan explains:

"As you may know, Talking Head is a device which uses a similar approach to the one we have created; utilizing a robotic approach. The device moves on the ground, and facial images dynamically change. But our device floats in the air, so many obstacles are avoided. That's completely different from the traditional approach."

Hiraoki Tobita says their team spent years designing the blimps and mini gondolas, which feature built-in cameras and motors that enable the devices to fly.

For CRI, I am Li Dong.