dissertation final version

dissertation of mine for final hand in.

HERE it is

Inspiration

There are many areas this project has taken inspiration from.  The main one is Popular culture, because of the close link with my dissertation it was important for me to take inspiration from popular culture so i could emulate technology’s uses.  This is because in my dissertation i make a correlation between good use of technology in a film and its subsequent appeal to mass public, where as a bad depiction could lead to negative feelings like the matrix’s take on Ai for example.  Another example of the correlation of popular culture and technology is the automatic door, a device first seen on star trek before being created, the version in the program were operated by stage hands opening the doors and providing sound effects.  Popular culture links to AR can be listed with examples like CSI New York’s virtual autopsy, Bones‘ 3d reenactments of crimes, the HUD system in the game Ghost recon, the AR training in the game Metal Gear Solid, the engineering process in Iron Man when Stark is building his suit etc.

The next Inspiration for the Project was the Argos catalog, also other versions like that Index had a few years back.  I feel that to reinvent a technology for mass public use then its a commercial application that would be most effective, The normal AR uses are somewhat aimed at a more “geeky” market and most of them are already informed about a technology and less effected by popular culture depictions.  So, while accounting for ARtags’ potential, it seemed logical to allow it to add an extra dimension to an existing product.  Innovation is normally the use of a new technology in a new area, but its just as innovative to take a technology and use it in an area that can be seen as neglected.  Although places like Argos have continued to develop with technology like orders from the Internet, quick order kiosks and terminals to check stock yet they have still continued to use catalogs.  So my first innovation was to revitalize the catalog, by adding it a new dimension, allowing it to be viewed in 3d and prove as a new example of a technology many in the mass public would not have seen.  Keys for innovating the catalog with this technology is that its a very simple and cheap system, a computer to runt he software and a web camera with some print outs of the tag and someone able to make a few models and edit a few script lines.

The other inspiration is the technology itself, the key that ive found when discussing it with people is that its the type of technology that once people are aware of they start spilling out ideas for great uses of it.  Just like Shot Codes have become common place within marketing, like for Coca Cola, so can ARtags, it just relies on the technology developing, and the interest and support for it being shown.

4d : using my examples and what your seeing

The pieces ive created and blogged ALL require a webcam to view and interact with.

The project itself is a real time motion capture webcam piece, i decided that real time was a major requirement to illustrate fully the relation to the movement within a space and revealing that space through that movement.  The main idea behind this piece is that for a spaces very existence and worth, use of that space is imperative.  When looking at the tralfmadorian perspective of time and space i toyed with ideas of ausing a security cam-eque webcam piece, that layered all the use of the space into a recuring video, the newest action layered above older actions.  However the tests proved too poor of production quality, but it did make me look to the space around them, the unused sapce.  My piece now makes a focus of the space used, isolating that unused space and removing it.

When looking at the final piece ive produced you’ll see a thin grey outline for where the image will be, below to the left a button. clicking this button takes a snap shot of the web cam’s view point.  The aim is to take a snapshot when only the bare space is visible, no people in it. that way you get a image of only the space when movement is detected, hense illustrating the point of the project, highlighting the used space.

In the older version there is a second video, this video is the live feed, showing the movement and the perosn making it, its worth looking at this one to get an understanding of how its all working.

4D THE FINAL VERSION

been in uni this morning and spoke to mike, showed him my final versions and asked him whether anything could do with a tweak.  so we decided that one video was enough, so i’m only using the video where the space is revealed, i.e. the main project and none of the extra bits that can be viewed in my previous versions.

Here’s the Final Version.

I’ll post a description and about entry, after this one, detailing what your seeing.

4d final versions

Ive worked on the project to how i want to display it, the first part of this was to increase the video size, so im using 640 x 480 instead of 320 x 240.  This had a knock on effect meaning some of the layers weren’t being created in the right places, so ive had to work out a new plan and layout.  The size of the swf has changed, and instead of seeing all the other inputs ive decided to only show the 2 main videos, the video with the “space” being revealed, and the video with the actual camera footage being revealed.  so that the correlation to the movement and space can be made most obviously.

im still a little unsure on wether to include text to detail what my proect is, and im tempted to create a quick logo or text title for the piece too, heres the two versions i have so far .

v1/wo text.

v1/w text.

New Abstract

My idea has changed some what, so to clarify it in my head i did this…

Project outline

Due to the few changes in project I decided to redo the abstract to fit the new Augmented Reality theme I’m working towards.

1. Outline your idea? Abstract about 200/300 words

My project aims to look at technology’s usage, and how more adventurous technology, such as what is seen in Science fiction films and television, can be used in our every day life.  I aim to look at Augmented reality, the idea that futuristic technology is just beginning to emerge into a format that could be taken advantage of in the home.

The key to this project is to use small obtainable technology, which is a cost effective means of creation and that is easy to use.  This ease of use and simplicity will enable the concept of the technology to be observed, with the idea being that seeing its simple uses will inspire further thought.  Part of the project will be the delivery system, again something that should be simple to use once set up, and out of technology readily available or at least heading that way.

The AR system will require a user to interact with the 3d image by manipulating it within the booklet, while allowing the user to better understand the subject matter of the booklet itself.  The detail of the project will be far better in 3d than 2d.  So far the inspiration behind this is a primitive version of the young girl’s primer, a learning aid that is technologically based and interactive.  While also being inspired by AR featured in film and computer games, often depicting holographic systems where maps can be shown, or in many war games such as Ghost Recon 2 and End War that show troop movement and battlefield details etc.

1. Keywords:

Augmented reality, technology, science fiction, convenience, gadgets, 3d, tutorial, instruction, engaging, interactive, transhumanism,

1. What do you think is innovative about your idea

1. The project is taking a new technology and giving it a new use, while also aiming at a significantly different user base.

Because my project is based on the use of an emerging technology it is naturally innovative in some ways, the idea is to create a view of how this technology can be used to influence and promote further usage in this area.  These areas being commercial design and marketing in 3d, augmented reality 3d tutorials and situation based tutorials with 3d and interactive content.  Using technology that will soon be readily available, and technology that makes the piece a compact system fit for a home use.  By using this technology in a new way I hope to help shift future thinkers in to this area as well.

1. Describe your audience

This technology is targeted at the majority of people.  The idea behind my dissertation was how technology appealed to the average person and in which ways were people subjected to certain technologies.  These ways are often then the key to how the technology itself would be perceived, such as if a new technology was shown in a good light then it will be looked upon favourably, for instance.

The audience for this is very wide, and makes it hard to pinpoint a cultural context or market for this idea.  I have narrowed it down to a household technology, where the audience is not particularly a technically savvy one, which means the system usage must be simple, while the aim clear and concise.  However, if further segmenting of the market was required in order to pinpoint a stricter target market, this technology may be best aimed at an age demographic of 18-60 due to the technology aspect of it possibly being harder for children and the elderly to grasp.  This technology would be used by both males and females, but it could be targeted towards middle-upper class people, with higher incomes, due to the need to own a laptop, webcam and possibly a projector.

1. What form will your work take?

1. My work will be a system that uses a computer as a central hub, where the ARtag software will run, but use a project and webcam to interact with the project.   The project will have to feature the tags for the 3d to be created from, so logically looking to make a booklet that can be viewed.

1. Describe the “cultural” or “Industrial” context for your work

This project for me looks at the use of technology and its opinion of a technology.  Ar technology has been used in films and games a great deal, usually in very high quality and gives the impression that to have AR you need expensive equipment.  ARtags is a simple and effective way for it to become more main stream.  It is cost effective and needs no more than a web camera and computer to run it.  The cultural context of this is that this project can appeal to such masses because of its ease of use.  This can promote new uses in its self, and raise the profile in a good way for the technology.  From here it would push use idea of situation based learning tools and interactive 3d displays, complicated diagrams can be exploded into a 3d one where real perspective can be used.  The majority of the critical context in which I have viewed this project has come from trans humanism, the idea of using technology to augment either our bodies or our lives.  Originally I sought to create a wearable technology, but realised that ease of use and simplicity of design was far more important to prove potential in a technology than a complicated system with a lot more technology going in to.  The original idea would have used arduino boards, light sensors, virtual reality goggles, webcams, Wii remotes, GPS dongle, Bluetooth and a laptop, whereas the system I am using is simply a web camera and laptop and possibly a projector for an extra use.

1. Describe the technologies you will use

The main technology I intend to use is the ARtags system primarily, with the printed AR tags. Also a  web camera to pick them up, a laptop to register them and then possibly a projector to view it instead of just the laptop, as part of the situation based part of the idea I aim to look into using a wii remote.

1. Outline the steps of production

To begin with, I need to learn to use the AR tags and change their output from the default 3d objects.  Then I have to work on designing the catalogues while simultaneously building the 3d images to go with them, a key part will be to use something to test it.  So far I am looking at either a DIY project that can be done in stages through the ARtag booklet, or possibly a puzzle oriented game.

4d : working

Ive got my project working now, its taking the picture from the webcam, thanks to the narrative work i did, and now ive managed to slot it behing the movement mask, over the video, meaning that its revealing the background/ the space, like i intended, and not the movement.

Here it is working (the button has to be pressed for a picture to be there to be reveale in the left box though) .  i have decided to use the old version too, so next to the top left box is the version that reveals the video as it had done.

4d & Narrative

Been  working on my project for Narrative, the idea for it is using a webcam to create a comic book for the user based on stimuli or a user own narrative (no decisions been made on this yet).  I decided to use the 4D webcam code as a starting block, and work on the code to capture a image using a button as the main focus.  This code however is what ive been having trouble with in 4D, so ive worked and worked at it, and i think through making my prototype narrative project i may have learnt how to do it for 4d.  Heres my narrative project.

Augmented Reality

Ive started to look at how to best use a technology to achieve my tutorial ideas, and from what i can remember i think ARtags will be great to look into.  Chris Ward did something with them uin the Second Year and it looked like an awesome technology.   From my Dissertation i have looked at many forms of use of technology, and those that have specific strenghths, and areas where they are developing.  In general AR technology in popular culture has been shown to use fantastic amounts of interactivity and superb graphics, at the moment, like many theorized and gamourised technologies in populate culture, this is not a accurate representation.  Like in my dissertation i mention how this can do either justice or disjustice to a technology, through a use of ARtags i hope to create an inspriing use of the technology, in an innovative way using the new and developing ARtag technology.

The idea of the ARtags is you run the .exe and then useing your webcam it can look at a tag and produce a 3d image by recognising the tag and which image its programed to reveal.  Im trying to get a version of the program at the moment which obviously holds my project to its mercy.

The interest in this area stems from the second year AR module with Vlad.  This module opened my eyes to alot of uses for AR, mine was a take on a real time situated game.  Where it hypothesised (we didnt have to make it, just illustrate the idea) technology that scaned an area and then ran the fighting game with teh area you were in as the level using VR goggles.

4d: Issues…its all CS4’s fault!

so, yeh it turns out to be all cs4’s fault.  I uninstalled cs4 on my laptop and found an old version of CS3 i had lying about and im running it on trial at the moment. so its back to working on the desktop in secure knowledge that i wont have to worry about it not working afterwards.  Working on the code for getting an image from the webcam and putting that in the work, so i can take an image of the room when empty to represent “the space”.