這個自動投影微調一直是dream task。終於有人研究成功了！雖然low tech，但夠實用。最重要的是它不用改裝Projector。
MERL (Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs) 和　Standford合作。上次的MERL的Diamond Touch 給 Jeff Han 搶了風頭，今次記得趕快推出！

Extended Reading:
MERL Fiber Optic Projector Calibration

同場加送超微型真正手提Projector:

image from CDM

Extended Reading:
http://www.oculon.com.tw/en/products/pro-type.aspx?pid=2

Made by crazy maker Joseph Chan, one of the technical team of MovingMario.

(image from: http://www.neimanmarcus.com)

嚴格來說, 應該說成Preceptive Pixel的Multitouch Wall.
早於Jeff Han宣佈創立Preceptive Pixel便知道有一天他的驚人low-cost Multitouch research會變成商品. 同時變成商品後大概不會low-cost.

盛惠US$100,000 起 (港幣$780,000, 新台幣$3,120,000, 人民幣$760000). 這是將自己變成Minority Report的Tom的代價.
*”起”的意思會否意味Preceptive Pixel會為客戶製作應用程式嗎?

video

忽發其想, Preceptive Pixel有沒有開放api, 或者源始碼讓第三者開發應用程式?

想買的可到這個網址

image from Ladyada

一向有留意Ladyada的奇異作品/發明/circuit bend. 他的Game Grrl 當年真的照做一次.

單看圖, 這個明顯是arduino的solderless breadboard 版本. 用來做prototype很不錯. US$17.5, 算平宜吧!

http://www.ladyada.net/make/boarduino/index.html

早前發現變形金剛mp3 player, 大呼過癮了半天. 上星期就收到Sony日本的一封宣傳email: Rolly. 這個新的MP3 Player不是在巴士上掛著耳機用的. 那麼, 它/牠 幹嘛?! 先看賣點加一點片子以為是變形金剛mp3的朋友. 變變形跳跳舞…….稍等, 原來是interface design的又一挑戰. 良久沒有看到Sony突破的interface了, 看看這個又會不會是經典的interface design.
看看宣傳的片子 (較長的一個, 日本的), 可以看到不同方法的操控. 拿上手操控和放在桌子上操控是不同的. 舉個例, 同樣的跳到下一首歌, 拿在手上的操控是扭動其中一邊的scroll (Rolly有兩邊Scroll), 但放在桌上就是推前推後. 最可愛就是放在桌上時的音量調效, 直接就是把Rolly旋轉. 即是Rolly變成Volume Knob.
令我最感興趣的該是Motion Editor, 這是個你可以”教”Rolly怎樣跟音樂跳舞的software.
看片子就知吧!

Rolly (interface):
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/rolly/products/user_interface.html

（image from: engadget.com)
這個可以是Madonna的The beat goes on, 也可以是The Beatles宣佈拆夥時Apple Records 為他們寫的新聞稿上最後一句：
“Spring is here and Leeds play Chelsea tomorrow and Ringo and John and George and Paul are alive and well and full of hope. The world is still spinning and so are we and so are you.
When the spinning stops — that’ll be the time to worry, not before. Until then, the Beatles are alive and well and the beat goes on, the beat goes on.”
這，也可以是Apple Inc為其新推出的iPod Touch的宣傳口號。
當你已經從水路找來iphone, ipod touch讓你氣憤因為你沒有喝到頭啖湯，還未算，iphone正式宣佈減價！8GB: US$499, 即將停產的4GB: US$299!!!! 全部有殺無賠大減US$200! 幸好自己不是美國人！待它來到香港，大家要認真想想要不要等它的3G version才買。

Run Lola Run Lola Run Lola Run Lola Run from shiffman and Vimeo.

IAC Video Wall Day 2 from shiffman and Vimeo.
上年年尾還有苦腦怎樣在Processing弄個Multi-display的程式來，於是電郵給Daniel Shiffman問他看看有沒有辦法，當時他的回覆是他也搞不好，當然在Java還有其他方法解決。不知是否很多朋友或學生問他這麼一個問題，早於半年前他就Chris Kairalla合作研發這個誰看誰讚的Processing Library出來。
Most Pixels Ever誕生的背景是怎樣我少理了，他就是在最近終於發佈Alpha版本。看它的testing video 多偉大。
MPE主要是利用Time synchronization 的原理運作。類似其他的video synchronization系統，server和client之間會互相傳送message以作記認，以video的內容則轉成array由server發放。Message synchronization的方法其實是networking一個基本法。簡單來說，我們有一群電腦群要作synchronization的資料處理，每個client包括server都會發放一個共同的message到server去，當server接收到所有的message後，即表示所以其他的client準備好接收或已完成處理上一宗資料。另外還得加入Time Delay feedback類似的功能，因為如果電腦的規格有異，運算速度亦不一樣。如果單純messaging system就會出現不統一運算。如果是video synchronization就很嚴重，因為畫面會變得不一致。所以透過time delay feedback可以修正這個錯誤，純一server發送的速度及命令其他client配合運合速度。
你可以到most pixel ever的網站中的how it works知道更多。

The Most Pixels Ever: http://www.mostpixelsever.com/

If I remember correctly, Jeff Han’s research paper mentioned about it. Now, Mico$oft made it! Go and see the video!

Links:
http://www.istartedsomething.com/20070620/msr-multi-touch-laptop/

More photo and video (is coming) for the multi-touch project:

Plus (photo of “Playful Media Exhibition):

It is the final testing video and photos by group of Ashley, Cinny, Don + Special help by Jason (crazy man) , Shek, Hoi and Jeff.

It is the exhibition Playful Media by BSc CM SIG, from City University of Hong Kong.

You have seen Microsoft’s Surface, amazed with the possibilities, but we still love Jeff Han: Low Cost FTIR. (Surface is also FTIR). That’s why you see my group of student (BScCM, SIG MoCap) research and developing their own Multitouch hardware and interface. Remember, Surface has limited on 52 touch points, we have no limitation. Crazy student Jason make his own tracking blob library and give up other existing library. Wonderful team with Ashley, Don, Cinny working very hard for few overnights on hardware and interface. And brother Jeff and Shek giving a helping hands on their classmate. It is what a media art school should see, not a teacher pushing and helping even working for them. They are a team of independent and active research and developer. What I need to do is just guide and give a little workshop on tracking technique. Good Job Team!

Last week they have already present their work-in-progress in GuLLDY’s open source project seminar. They will then exhibited next Monday in the show case of School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong. Let’s looking forward their interface and application, kinda arty or applicable.

At the same time, you will crazy about it HP’s gaint Multitouch wall.

I was teaching in the class “Microcontroller and Embedded system“. In the first 3 lesson, we use LEGO Mindstorm as a warm up. We given the application provided by LEGO and use JAVA with eclipse to write the RCX. (We are still using Mindstorm 2.0, but will use 3.0 with bluetooth one next time I do the class!) The second, or the main focus of this class is Arduino. We use Arduino IDE to write Arduino. Student need to finish the tasks in every class. From analog to digital, complex sensors, multiplexer, midi port, Wifi, etc.

These are two of the students’ assignment:

This is a lighting/LED funiture made by the group of Ashley.

This is a 8bits generator/instrument with mixer by the Jason.

This is a “Audio-Visual” Controller made by Chris.

In the LEGO Mindstorm warm up, students did three group projects:
1) Walk in the lab, can aviod the wall and object once touch the wall and the objects.
2) Aviod all objects and wall before touching it
3) Picking up the specific objects and then back home.

There are few of the project 3: