CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, September 23, 2014

smart atoms spaxels by ars electronica draw 3D images in the night sky

www.designboom.com: the ‘smart atoms’ spaxels version, developed by ars electronica futurelab, use these space pixels to fly in precise formation in order to draw three-dimensional objects in midair. the LED-equipped quadcopters fly as interlinked blocks so that it is possible to not only form visual likenesses but also to generate images with material-virtual characteristics.

3 comments:

Keith Kelly said...

This smart atom technology is ground breaking and advancing constantly. The drones that contain the individual lights fly effortlessly through the air and move in conjunction with one another. To me this technology represents the future of fireworks to some degree. The light paints that this company created are beautiful and look amazing against the dark sky. Although the product is stunning, the work behind the product must be expensive and time consuming. Each one of those drones needs a power source along with the right weather conditions in order to operate properly. It must have taken this company a while to get to where they are. Great idea and I think its going to go somewhere in the future.

Becki Liu said...

It seems like the skies the limit this week! This was really cool. I really like the long exposure pictures in the first video! I can see this becoming extremely popular and making a huge impact on the entertainment industry. I mean imagine going to a concert and having these lights flying around like magic? How cool would that be!!!!???? I'll answer for you, very cool! After seeing a few videos of this, I'm just wondering how do they get the flying machines (reference to the other post) to hover to smoothly? It's crazy seeing what was once Science Fiction become non-fiction!

Alex Fasciolo said...

Really cool stuff, I can see this type of technology developing into something that can be both artistic and utilitarian. Imagine these guys acting as guidelines for 'roads' through the sky. For now however, they are really interesting little drone LEDs that can make shapes in the night sky. I'm trying to think of a theatrical application for them, and the first few things that come to mind are their potential for outdoor events, particularly live concert events. There may not be anything innately dramatic about them, but these things can certainly provide a really cool environment that is both flexible and completely immersive. I'd love to see how this technology progresses.