Wiimote Sensor bar build up stage1

At this moment I'm at the stage of building a Wiimote IR sensor that will be attached to the goggles in order to co-operate with Wiimote's camera. I have already purchased LEDs needed.

And here is the tutorial how to build the sensor bar. 

My feelings and expectations towards the project are very pessimistic at this moment because I have a problem with the goggles. They seem to be broken unfortunately:( Only one screen is working and the other one is not responding/is off. I will carry on with the next stage as I planned but the final effect will be far cry from expected. After the sensor bar is done, the next stage will include the servo motor movement adjustments. Wish me luck!

Happy New Year!!!

Wiimote sensor bar

Well, you may ask why oh why did I put this video here... It is funny and to the point. I have been installing my Max/MSP Jitter and Arduino back again after it has been not present in my computer for long few months. After a while, whne everything was there, I was testing my patch and everything that goes with it: cameras, Wiimote, goggles and Arduino. The first camera appears to be broken...hmm, it should not be a big problem, it cost me only 5 pounds to get a new one. The second camera that is inside the goggles seems to show a blurry picture so few more adjustmesnts need to be done. Next, the Wiimote is not detecting the IR LEDs of the camera inside the goggles even though the LEDs stick outside the goggles cover. I have spent 6 hours today trying to figure out what is the problem. The funniest part, that also relates to the video, is the Wiimote detecting my ceiling lamp like if it was a IR LEDs. Hah, so much to be done tomorrow. If the bug won't be fixed quick, the option would be to build a Wiimote sensor bar. Simple and convenient.

Promo 3D animation

This is the promotional piece that will be part of a promo website. 

Ortho-goggles revisited

Hello everyone! The project which I have been describing in details on these pages entered the next stage of development. Already, there have been improvements in esthetic's design. The camera placed on the goggles, responsible for showing the surrounding, has been mounted inside the goggles. Moreover, some additional features have been added to the overall look of the davice itself. The cover has been taken off in order to fit the camera and so the new cover had to be developed. Plus, previously it's been proved that the visitors of TVU Degree Show Digital Piracy Exhibition weren't convinced by its fragile structure. Today, the structure is more stable and user friendly. 

   A device that I am creating is a digital tool for artists. Its form is way much more sophisticated than a brush or pencil but also in terms of usability it is also more valuable. This device allows us to manipulate the perspective of the image. It becomes a tool for an artist in terms of vision and imagination. Additionally, it represents the technique of projecting a fully dimensional 3D object onto 2D plane, a technique called isometric projection. It is a method of representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions where the X,Y and Z axes are equally foreshortened and and the angle between any two of the axes are 120 degrees.

The project consists if two cameras, AV goggles, two RC hobby motors, Wiimote controller and a projection plane. The first camera is attached to the goggles and the second to RC motors. The position of the first camera depends on the position of the second. Both move along X and Y axis thanks to the Wiimote controller placed under the projection plane. The Wiimote controller's role is to be a vantage point and to read the position of an object in 2D or 3D space. In this case it is the position of the first camera in 2D space that is being read. Thanks to these specific values of the controller, it is possible to send the data of a position of an object to be received by RC motors that control the position of the second object. And so, the position of the first camera is equal to the position of the second camera.

Final Etiude - Critical Evaluation

I have just finished my journey with this project. The final work is close to planed achievement and ready to present on 3D Hybrids module. I include my Critical Evaluation of the project.

The Portal – Critical Evaluation

3D Hybrids

          'Traditional interface boundaries between human and machine can be transcended even while re-affirming our corporeality, and Cartesian notions of space as well as illustrative realism can effectively be replaced by more evocative alternatives.' - these words by Char Davies are very magical to me as she grasps the idea of modern romanticism in which humans are escaping through technology from reality they have created and evolve by aplying this technology into their bodies. Modern romanticism has been introduced long time before Char Davies's 'Osmosis' and 'Immersence'. Twentieth century writers like William Gibson and Philip K Dick talked about the downturns of technological development rather than the saving role of it. Nevertheless, modern societies are more likely to accept the carousel ride with technological innovations than deny it. Only until the hi-tec gadgets are not used another man, we are comfortable with automation. I am a big fan of LHC project that takes place somewhere underground in Switzerland. This is the case when technology is used to help us answer the biggest questions ever asked - What is life? What is reality? As an artist I begin a discussion on this topic and try to give my own answer. More specificly, I am suggesting a reality that can be adjusted, changed, morphed. As human eyesight is representing the reality that surrounds us, we interpret every object. Moreover, every one of us understands space and time more or less the same way. We cannot be in two different places at the same time. Taking part in that discussion, my project is suggesting a controversial answer - parallel worlds. I would like to say that space and time can bend to create a magical window into parallel world. This window can be opened in any place we like and on any surface we like.

          The parallel world is seen through the camera placed at point B and the observer is wearing VR goggles with another camera attached to it at point A. In the pure sense of it, it is an an implementation of two fully  three-dimensional spaces onto one two-dimensional space which is understood as a portal. The extra feature(which  gives more real feel to it) is user's position tracking at point A transferred to camera position at point B. The purpose of this feature is to represent a natural orthographic view. This was the crucial part of my experiment and also the most complicated part. Although, I did not achieve what I was planning at the beginning, I am quite pleased with the effect considering the amount of work I have put to it. Chromakeying was ready to be assembled since I have finished it last semester and I had to focus on position detection in space and its interaction with orthographic view of the camera. I started from preparation of devices and tools needed to achieve what I have planned. With the help of Wiimote and its popularity among digital artists I decided to include it in my project without hesitation. To control the camera view, I used RC servo motors that I wanted to work with from a long time. Wiimote was the perfect interactivity tool from the beginning and internet forums are full of informations about its possibilities of use. I was only concerned about its ability to read the X,Y and Z axis. I had no problem with the readings as my mini Web cam that I purchased last semester had Infra Red LEDs build in. 

          I am very proud of what I have achieved. Moreover, I have learned something about myself – I am stubborn and can think logically surprisingly well. I have many ideas and plan every step in my mind before actually doing it.  Patience and stoic calmness decided upon my success as an artist and inventor.        

Sketches and Max/MSP Patch

Hello, as I promised in previous posts I am showing the sketches of the project. Here it is:
Also, just to remind you that the original idea came from 'The Neovision' project, I am releasing this short video:


The Neovision is using a distance sensor to control the playback of a quicktime movie. No Flash used...

Prototype

This is a sketch of the two servos controlling a webcam. Undoubtly, this is how I am going to put these parts together, connect servos to Arduino with breadboard and hide the whole skeleton in a toy. Still waiting for goggles though...