Avatar - new technologies in the industry

Avatar - new technologies in the industry

Science-fiction film "Avatar", released in 2009, is joint US-British product, directed by James Cameron. Already in its first weekend rental "Avatar" has collected $ 21 million in Russia, $ 73 million in the U.S., and $ 232 million in total worldwide.

The film is called a revolutionary breakthrough in the technology of filmmaking, it was first used a specially designed motion capture system (performance capture).

Previously, when filming movies such three-dimensional motion capture system was common. Cameron shared it, and in the film for capturing facial expressions replied camera, mounted on the head and body movements rented a separate remote camera. This has ensured the absolute realism of characters: Suspended equipment recorded the facial expressions, muscle movements, eye movements with unprecedented accuracy to this (with this method about 95% of actions of actors passed their digital copies). A remote camera crew team gave the film a much wider space for motion capture, compared with the same features it had increased by 6 times.

Unlike previous motion capture systems, where the digital environment is added after the movement of the actors were captured, a new virtual camera allowed him to keep track of Cameron with the monitor as virtual copies of the actors interact with the digital world cinema mode real-time. Director could regulate and control the scenes as well as in normal shooting with conventional actors.

The virtual camera director does not see the actors against the background of film studios and movie characters in the rainforest.

The new approach allows the crew partially deny service to make-up artists and technicians who are responsible for the creation of images of aliens, werewolves, witches, demons and other figures. Now you can be anyone or anything else, choose the age, sex change, even without spending time on the complex make-up, which also causes discomfort.

This technological innovation was not the end. The film is made in stereoscopic three-dimensional format. To do this, the director used his own technology «Reality Camera System» with two high-resolution cameras that increase the depth perception.

The film is 40% consists of live action and by 60% - of computer graphics. This new level of gaming and computer movie. To create the world's Avatar took more than a petabyte (1,000 terabytes) of digital storage space to store all the computer-graphics film assets (plants and animals, insects, rocks, mountains and clouds, etc.). For comparison, in the film Titanic took only 2 terabytes to create (and flooding), and ship thousands of passengers.

Electronic football

Electronic football

To date, almost all sports disciplines are inextricably linked with innovative technologies: the athletes everything from equipment to ordnance, fulfilled with the latest technology, with using the best modern materials. And football is no exception. FIFA members have not left a desire to create a ball that will be able to solve all instant controversy among its members, providing them with the most accurate and the only true information.

So, at CeBIT in 2003, was presented with a small soccer ball chip inside. Even then, this chip could make the camera will automatically follow the flight of the ball, or to resolve contentious issues on the subject of animals, off-sides. The problem of development was only in mounting the chip inside the pumped air ball.

In 2005 the company Adidas and Cairos Technologies was conducted successful joint test of its electronic version of the ball, which can accurately determine its position on the field and transmit the coordinates to the judges. At the same time these chips were created for the players.

At the beginning of 2007 at the International Stadium in Yokohama, FIFA introduced an improved version of the electronic ball called Teamgei2t co-production of the same Adidas and Cairos Technologies. The ball had only one unusual feature, it signaled crossing the goal line with a 100 -% accuracy. The encrypted signal is transmitted to the official judges watch the match. This version of the ball was tested at the World Cup - FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007, December 7-16.

Despite the heavy loads during the game, the chips are suspended in the center of the 12 banners, have not received any damage. Externally, the ball did not differ from normal balls.

And finally, the 2010 version, dubbed "CTRUS", namely, transparent electronic football, who do not have to inflate. Moreover, its physical characteristics comparable to conventional football. Inside is the design of complex shape, and the outside "CTRUS" covered with a shell of reinforced elastomer, making it more flexible than the previously used balls. In concept, too, and laid these "chips" as the conversion of kinetic energy into electrical energy and light balls in different colors depending on the situation on the field.

The mechanism for moving the walls, collected in two vacuum cleaners

The mechanism for moving the walls, collected in two vacuum cleaners

Only two conventional vacuum cleaner to 15 euro It took a British teenager to navigate the steep wall as good as Spider-Man.

For the past five months, two and a half hours a day, Kono Hibiki (Hibiki Kono), a student at King's College School (King's College School) in Cambridge, worked on his unusual device. Resourceful schoolboy combined two companies Tesco Value vacuum capacity of 1400 watts, put your hands on the air suction nozzle and the square used them as a restraint mechanism on the wall.

Hibiki Kono admitted that he is a longtime fan of Spider-Man. "As a child I often dressed as Spider-Man. I love movies about him. And I like to climb the walls like it" - said Kono told reporters.

Hibiki successfully tested his invention, the wall climbing school, and he says it's "not scary, and it is fully confident in the car." He also admitted that her mother delighted with his idea, but it does not allow him to climb the walls of the bedroom out of fear that he would bring down the ceiling.

Jabulani - the official ball of the World Cup in 2010

Jabulani - the official ball of the World Cup 2010

December 4, 2009 the company Adidas and FIFA presented the ball " ; JABULANI »- the official ball of the World Cup in Africa. The name «Jabulani» comes from the indigenous Zulu tongue, which is one of the eleven official languages ​​of South Africa. It says 25% of the population of South Africa. Literally translated, the name of the ball translates to "celebrate." The design goals are 11 colors, which symbolize the 11 field players and 11 languages ​​of South Africa, 11 South African communities.

The official ball of World Cup 2010 was developed by the revolutionary technology. The company took into account some tips Adidas players on the last ball of the official Adidas Europass, which sometimes behave unpredictably in the air.

Tire «Jabulani» consists of eight 3D-shaped panels with termopoliuretanovyh underlay layer of foam EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), covering a harmonious inner frame. Thanks to new technology, the ball is innovative and a round surface. Unique as the very form of panels, and the technology of their production for the first time before the first bend termosshivkoy panel to give the ball perfectly round and as a consequence, the maximum fine, stable and level flight path. After the first test, the players all over the world enthusiastically looking at targets that will achieve a new ball.

Surface of the ball is made of technology «grip'n'groove» - at her in a certain order marked longitudinal bar mikrovypuklosti and "grooves" that provides a more stable trajectory of the ball, as well as a perfect grip under all footwear at weather conditions.

The ball meets all the requirements FIFA:

circumference.
- Standard FIFA: 68.5-69.5 cm,
- Jabulani: 69.0 + / - 0.2 cm

surface.
- Standard FIFA: a maximum of 1.5% of the difference between the parts,
- Jabulani: maximum 1.0% difference.

Water absorption:
- Standard FIFA: weight gain maximum +10%,
- Jabulani: 0% weight gain (rain new ball is absolutely frightening!)

Weight:
- Standard FIFA: 420-445 grams,
- Jabulani: 440 + / - 0.2 gram.

Jumping:
- In a standard test FIFA ball rises to a height of two meters ten times and dumped out onto a steel plate. The difference is the rebound can not be greater than 10 cm
- I still stricter Jabulani - bounce must be no less than 143 cm and not more than 149 cm

Pressure Loss: Measured over three full days after pumping.
- Standard FIFA - 20% of the maximum pressure loss,
- Jabulani: 10% maximum loss.

Strength: expels the ball in the steel plate 2,000 times at a speed of 50 km per hour. After this test, allowed only minimal changes in air pressure and loss of roundness. The air valve and stitching must remain undamaged.
- Standard FIFA: 2000 cycles at 50 km / h,
- Jabulani: 3500 cycles at 50 km / hr.

The giant Rubik's cube the size of 17x17x17

The giant Rubik's cube the size of 17x17x17

Which just bizarre forms did not take the Rubik's cube - a well-known puzzle, invented in 1974 (and patented in 1975) Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik. Yet the classical form of a cube so far the most popular. However, the tireless inventors and designers and are trying to complicate the simple increase in the number of elements at the edges. It was previously shown blocks the size of 11x11x11, 12x12x12, now the band released a giant Rubik's cube the size of 17x17x17.

The amazing engineering masterpiece assembled from parts in 1539, the width and height of each of its sides is about 14 centimeters. The author's ideas and put it into practice - Oscar van Deventer (Oskar van Deventer). After two unsuccessful attempts made earlier, the decision of details have been found, every element of this puzzle was made to the 3D-printer and rasskrashen manually. Painting took 10 hours, whereas the assembly of Cuba took another five.

Officially puzzle will be available in February in New York, at the same time we plan and lay out the video for demonstration. The cost of toys at the moment is $ 2006.

The most realistic simulator pilot

The most realistic simulator pilot

German Aerospace Center (DLR) is developing an original simulator, which creates the most realistic illusion of flight. The cockpit is installed on a movable mechanical arm of the popular attraction "Robocoaster", able to rotate in all directions. In this mechanism itself is also moving along the guide rails 10 meters long, which creates the feeling of acceleration.

Using the cockpit-capsules with solid screens across the inner surface allowed to create the most realistic picture, which complement the background noise recorded in real flights. Thus the device acts on all the main senses of the operator, submerging it completely in virtual reality.

Simulator is unique in the fact that it allows you to simulate movement on almost any form of transport from car to jet fighter. For flight simulation used ready-made customizable templates with aircraft of different weight and power, as well as a variety of weather conditions.

Features of the new simulator is very broad. Currently, the prototype has some limitations for safety reasons, for example, disabled a simulation of collision with the ground, battle damage, etc. Also in the cockpit provides the emergency stop button of the program, which returns a capsule in a horizontal position and lowers it to a safe altitude.

Art Project - the largest museums in the world in an interactive project Google

Art Project - the largest museums in the world in an interactive project Google

Google and 17 major museums in the world February 1, 2010 year, announced the launch of large-scale art project Art Project, which allows from anywhere via the Internet to get to the museum halls and see the pictures in an unprecedented high resolution.

The London gallery Tate, Madrid, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Paris Versailles, as well as two Russian Museum - The State Hermitage and the Tretyakov Gallery (TG) - just some of the participants, who combined their collections with powered by Google.

Art Project - a thousand pictures, placed in the Internet space and 385 rooms, Stitch (360) technology used for the well-known service Google Maps Street View, which gives the possibility of virtual tours.

Interface of the new service gives the user a lot of possibilities - from detailed examination of works of art, to study the history of the work, the history of museums themselves and information about the artists. Interactive functions allow you to create your own album and share them with other users, go to related videos on YouTube, and so on.

In addition, each museum has chosen one painting from his collection for the filming of ultra-high resolution - about seven billion pixels - on its own technology Google.

The Tretyakov Gallery, for example, chose the work of Alexander Ivanov, "The Appearance of Christ to the people" in Moscow visited the Google team with their equipment and lighting, and shooting one of the pictures taken almost daily.

The project authors suggest that while the service is gaining momentum, there is no implementation timeframe, as well as limitations on the number of participants. For example, if one of the first museums were not included some of the world's most famous museums, this only means that at the moment for various reasons they do not participate, but can join the Art Project later.

Project website: Google Art Project