CMU School of Drama


Friday, November 22, 2019

Projector throws stable 1000fps image on a rough or moving surface

Boing Boing: Dynaflash is a projector that maps a moving, deforming surface at 1000 frames per second, meaning that it can cast a stable image on it no matter how wild its gyrations. One caveat: it requires the target surface to have an invisible infrared grid on it.

9 comments:

Owen Sahnow said...

This projector technology is a fascinating advance in projector technology. I’m curious what sorts of uses it can have in the future. The problem with projecting on a small object like a person is that when they turn or move out of range, the image is lost. However, I think the mapping technology could certainly be used for live feedback and maybe even keeping projections off actors who are in front of projection surfaces. I think that technology could have been useful in Tiger at the Gates. I don’t know how much the audience noticed it, but during media heavy scenes, there actors standing in front of the projection surfaces were heavily hit by the images, which looked a little weird. Not much could be done to remedy this, but if the projection could be mapped into 3D space so it only worked for when nothing was in front of the projection surface. My guess is that this technology gets slightly less precise the farther away it gets from the object.

Pablo Anton said...

Wow! I have never seen projection mapping like this before. To even have a projector that can read an object and have a mind of its own to decide where to place and shift the projection according to the objects position. Being in the video media stagecraft at the moment, I am learning a lot about projection mapping and learning about how projections can be utilized in the theater world and beyond. This new inventive projector can change so much of what we currently know about projectors! Say, we have something we want to project onto a person on the stage but they have to walk and run and jump around. If this technology evolves to a point where this projector can read where that actor is on the stage from the back of the house, you can easily project anything you want on the person and have it end up following and mapping to their shifting body all throughout a show!

-Pablo Anton

James Gallo said...

This is a really cool concept that I think could be really useful in theatre. Something that has always been very interesting to me is projection mapping on costumes. This technology, while not yet fully developed, could potentially allow projections to be mapped on actors and allow them to move around and the clothes to be not a perfectly flat surface all with the projections still following. I think that once this technology is a little more tested and developed that this could be a very useful concept to implement into shows and maybe even test in our VMD program. Media has already done some amazing things to the theatre industry and I think that the opportunities for implementing media into shows are truly endless. This would be a great way to continue pushing boundaries past what we have ever seen before. I am very excited to see the future of media.

char said...

This Projection technology seems so promising as theatre becomes more and more high tech. The media world of theatre has a lot to figure out, but it is on its way! The fact that it works not only in moving surfaces, but in distorting surfaces as well just blows my mind. I can imagine it being used in humans, or in moving surfaces, in order to create illusions. I am sure in the beginning it will be really inaccessible for most companies and it still has caviats to it but it proves that the media world is evolving and we have not seen a speck of its full potential. Media comes from its own world, and it has been smushed into being part of theatre, and still has to catch up to other departments, but on its own it has proven to be limit less, for those who can afford it.

Hsin said...

The future in all the sci-fi movies is one step closer again. The ability of projecting stable images on irregular surfaces is key to many augmented reality technologies. To be able to create projections like the video shown, there is a main breakthrough on technical side. The projectors used should be able to track how surfaces are moving and have the capacity of achieving real-time compensation to the projection. Both software and hardware specs are vital to achieve that. For example programming the angle to the surfaces as the factor of how to adjust the image that is projected. Also the depth sensor has to work perfectly in order to provide the projection transformation. Just thinking of how many interfaces are worked out during the developing phase of this application makes me exciting. The future possibilities opened by this technology including the usage of wearable devices or exhibition occasions are more promising than ever.

Emma Pollet said...

After taking media this mini, I am in awe of projectors and media as a whole. I got to map projectors, which was tedious as it is. Having this projector that overcomes insane movements is just mind-blowing. For one of my projections, I mapped a clothing design on a person, but since the person was just one of the mannequins in the light lab, it was easy. The mannequin was obviously standing perfectly still. I realized that with our particular projectors and software, the projector wouldn't be able to track the mannequin if it were actually a moving human (I think). But this projector opens so many doors. I'm particularly thinking about what it does for costume design. I'm definitely aware of the communication that occurs between media and costume designers in order to ensure that the two designs complement each other. With this projector, however, who is to say that the two designs can't become one? It would be so cool to project a detailed costume onto an actor who is wearing a simple costume that makes for a good projection surface. And in shows such as Frozen, where the media is already a strong part of the storytelling, image what Elsa's on-stage costume transformation would look like if her dress was detailed with light projected from this projector.

Chase T said...

This is very cool! I am particularly interested in the ability for the program to recognize different markers and send different feeds. I do wonder, however, how it performs over longer distances, when distortions are less magnified. I would be willing to bet that there is a range, and that the range is currently quite short. With the current state of the technology, I think it would work well for anything that involves a booth or is otherwise close-up, like face-to-face marketing or exhibitions. On the other hand, it appears that the setup would obscure anyone’s view of what’s happening, and it might be difficult to see from the perspective of someone playing with the system. If the range is more like fifteen feet, there are more options, but I think it would also depend on the ability to mount the projector in the ceiling or, I suppose, the floor. In any case, I have little doubt that there would often be people standing in the wrong place, obstructing the projection. In the end, the utility might be limited to art installation.

Mattox S. Reed said...

This is so so so cool. I know projection mapping and new tracking technologies are so advanced. Projection technology is one of the things that I do not exactly know where it is going in the world of advancement. It is similar to 3-d printing there is a current market for it of course and their can be further innovation that is moving on. This super high frame rate projector is a really interesting idea for surfaces I just don’t exactly see how these can be used in theatre or live entertainment. The ability to also work on a deformed and moving/adapting surface that is so interesting. I could see how we may want to use the infrared system that allows for tracking on something on stage as its adapting and moving. The ability to create something that is ever changing and moving on stage is so important.

Natsumi Furo said...

First, let me add that this project was done by the laboratory team at the University of Tokyo, because it is important! This video is actually from 2016, so I am interested in how much the research has developed since then. As Emma mentioned above, I am also interested in how this technique can be applied to theatre especially in terms of costumes. However, I am afraid of how much digital technique is used in the theatre industry in many ways. When all the sets are made of screens, watching backgrounds that always matches with the scene makes me feel like my imagination is not trusted as an audience. The dynamic projection would be able to project costumes on simple clothes and transform immediately, but I still do prefer the real solid costumes. Moreover, I feel a little intoxicated just by looking at this short video, maybe because we don’t usually expect the image to move along.