Tracking

This Engadget post reports Mgestyk Technologies are planning to sell their gesture-based control system on the cheap. From the article: "As we've seen, it's not exactly all that difficult for someone with the necessary skills to whip up their own gesture-based control system, but the folks at upstart Mgestyk Technologies seem to think they've got something a bit more notable on their hands, and they're actually planning on selling it to the general public.

This Networked_Performance article takes a look at GPS Film: a new media artwork from filmmaker Scott Hessels that invents a new way of watching movies based on the viewer’s location and movement. From the article: "Using a GPS-enabled PDA or mobile phone, the audience creates a new type of film experience that reveals the story through their journey.

Released as a free, open-source application, the project premiere[d] on September 4, 2008 along with the first film made specifically for the system, Singaporean filmmaker Kenny Tan’s chase comedy Nine Lives.

This NewScientistTech article reports Nintendo has unveiled a new motion sensor for its Wii controller and a number of new games to show off the capabilities of the device. From the article: "The controller more accurately tracks the position and orientation of a player's arm and should allow games to be more sensitive to player movement.

At the E3 video game industry trade show in Los Angeles yesterday, Nintendo said the motion controller will come boxed with a new title called Wii Sports Resort, which includes Frisbee throwing and sword-fighting games that show off the controller's abilities.

This Technology Review article takes a look at the WAVEscape system developed by Reactrix. From the article: "There could be a revolution brewing in billboard advertising. Instead of simply presenting a static image, why not let people interact with the advertisement? This is the vision of electronics giant Samsung and interactive advertising company Reactrix Systems. The two companies have partnered to bring 57-inch interactive displays to Hilton hotel lobbies by the end of the year. These displays can "see" people standing up to 15 feet away from the screen as they wave their hands to play games, navigate menus, and use maps.

This ThomasNet press release reports WorldViz releases the PPT-H high-end tracking system based on intelligent cameras and the new PPT Studio 2008 software which is the first immersive Virtual Reality tracking system that expands up to 32 cameras. From the press release: "The PPT-H high-end tracking system based on intelligent cameras and new PPT Studio 2008 software is the first immersive Virtual Reality tracking system that expands up to 32 cameras.

This NewScientistTech article reports two consumer digital cameras, some fishing line and a spot of number crunching have made it possible for researchers to track the 3D positions of more than 2000 individual starlings flying in a single tightly-packed flock. From the article: "Previously, scientists could only work out the positions of tens of birds at any one time. Unveiling the secrets of such complex group behaviour could have applications in economics.

Because of the difficulties in tracking individual birds in large flocks, biologists have instead used computer simulations to study flocking.

This NewScientistTech article reports Swiss and US researchers have developed an interactive virtual-reality system for flies. From the article: "They have built a wind tunnel for flies with changing scenes or images projected onto its walls. A camera tracks the fly in 3D, making the images move in response to it flying around inside.

The VR system offers a new way to gain insight into how flies' visual environment affects how they move and behave. The researchers say that they hope to build VR setups for other animals too.

This NewScientistTech article takes a look at a technology developed to allow people with severe motor disabilities to play 3D computer games like World of Warcraft using only their eyes. From the article: "Since the 1990s, gaze technology has helped people with conditions such as motor neurone disease (MND), cerebral palsy and other "locked-in syndromes" to control 2D desktop environments and communicate using visual keyboards.

This press release reports InterSense announced its custom configured, IS-900 wireless motion tracking system has been integrated into Psyche, a six-sided immersive display being used in the Cyberpsychology Lab at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. From the press release: "Psyche is used for research focused on validating the clinical effectiveness of virtual therapeutic environments and of telepsychotherapy for certain mental disorders, including anxiety disorders and sexually deviant behavior.

This Game With A Brain article reports Sony presented at GDC its head tracking technique which uses the Playstation Eye to track the player’s head movements and simulates a virtual reality display. From the article: "Of all the things GDC is known for, it is considered the premiere opportunity for companies to show off the latest technology to revolutionize video games. Sony got an opportunity to show off its latest advance known as head tracking, which uses the Playstation Eye to track the player’s head movements and simulates a virtual reality display.