SIGGRAPH Emerging Technologies: Breakthroughs in Haptics, Robotics and Gaming

CHICAGO--(Business Wire)--
SIGGRAPH 2009's Emerging Technologies presents innovative technologies and
applications in many fields including alternative displays, robotics, input
interfaces, gaming, audio, haptics/VR, and experimental sensory experiences.

Presented in a combination of curated demonstrations and juried interactive
installations, a minimum of 29 of the more than 100 international juried
submissions were selected and will be on display and available for interaction
with attendees in New Orleans this summer.

"These installations showcase how technology and computer graphics might soon be
enhancing the average person's everyday work and life," stated Manabu Sakurai,
SIGGRAPH 2009 Emerging Technologies Chair. "From helping those with physical
challenges to improving the entertainment experience, Emerging Technologies
offer a unique look into the future at how complex technologies can have a major
impact."

Following are only some of the highlights of this popular venue [high resolution
images and video are available].

Sound Scope Headphones

Masatoshi Hamanaka, SeungHee Lee - University of Tsukuba

The Sound Scope Headphones let users control an audio mixer through natural
movements, and thus enable a musical novice to separately listen to each musical
instrument independently during a group concert.

Potential Future Use:

The Sound Scope Headphones will allow a novice user to control different levels
of musical pieces in a way that until now has only been available using state of
the art commercial equipment. For example, when listening to jazz, one might
want to clearly hear the guitar while also eliminating or reducing the sound of
the sax.

The UnMousePad - The Future of Touch Sensing

Ilya Rosenberg, Ken Perlin, Charles Hendee, Alexander Grau, Nadim Awad, Adrian
Secord, Merve Keles - New York University; Christian Miller - University of
Texas - Austin; Julien Beguin - Gotham Wave Games

The UnMousePad is based on a flexible and inexpensive sensor technology called
IFSR that enables the acquisition of high quality multi-touch pressure images.
The core advantage of this revolutionary sensor technology is that by
interpolating pressure, it allows tracking at high resolutions, using a fairly
coarse grid of electrodes

Potential Future Use:

Multi-touch input has been an active area of research for over two decades and
has appeared on CNN, but not on everyone's desk, computer screens, table-tops,
walls and floors. This technology allows for more commercial and mainstream use
of inexpensive, flexible and sensitive touch imaging technology

HeadSPIN: A One-to-Many 3D Video Teleconferencing System

Andrew Jones, Magnus Lang, Graham Fyffe, Xueming Yu, Jay Busch - University of
Southern California, Institute for Creative Technologies; Ian McDowall -
Fakespace Labs;

Mark Bolas - University of Southern California, Institute for Creative
Technologies & School of Cinematic Arts; Paul Debevec - University of Southern
California, Institute for Creative Technologies

This installation presents a 3D teleconferencing system that enables true eye
contact between a three-dimensionally transmitted subject and multiple
participants in an audience. The system is able to reproduce the effects of
gaze, attention, and eye contact not available in traditional teleconferencing
systems.

Potential Future Use:

This device will take teleconferencing to a much more personal level allowing
participants to make eye contact as if they were interacting face-to-face.

Graphical Instruction for a Garment Folding Robot

Yuta Sugiura - Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University/ JST, ERATO,
Tokyo; Takeo Igarashi - The University of Tokyo / JST, ERATO, Tokyo; Hiroki
Takahashi - Waseda University / JST, ERATO, Tokyo; Tabare Akim Gowon - Harvard
University /JST, ERATO, Tokyo; Charith Lasantha Fernando, Maki Sugimoto,
Masahiko Inami - Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University/ JST, ERATO,
Tokyo

This project proposes the use of an interactive graphical editor to give
instructions to robots for folding garments in a household environment. This
editor allows the user to specify instructions by performing simple editing
operations (clicking and dragging) in order to teach the robot how to uniquely
fold clothes.

Potential Future Use:

This technology provides a glimpse into the future for improving the living
conditions of consumer users, or greatly improving the efficiency of industrial
users.

Pull-Navi

Yuichiro Kojima, Yuki Hashimoto, Shogo Fukushima, Hiroyuki Kajimoto - The
University of Electro-Communications

While many tactile navigation systems have used hands or arms, we developed a
novel, intuitive, instinctive and energy-efficient walk navigation interface
that "pulls the ears‚" and confirmed that users were inevitably tempted to move
in the pulled direction without experiencing pain or force. The device simply is
worn on the ears and leads or lightly pulls the user in a desired direction.

Potential Future Use:

As the world becomes more and more computer-based, there is a growing need for
assistive technologies to help those individuals with sight and hearing
disabilities engage in an electronic world. The Pull-Navi navigation system can
be used as a directional device to assist those with sight and hearing
impairments or to enhance a virtual gaming experience.

Touchable Holography

Takayuki Hoshi, Masafumi Takahashi, Kei Nakatsuma, Hiroyuki Shinoda - The
University of Tokyo

Mid-air displays are attracting a lot of attention as promising technologies in
the field of digital signage and home TV, and many types of holographic displays
are proposed and developed. Although we can "see" the projected images as if
they are really floating in front of us, we cannot "touch" them because they are
nothing but light. The objective here is adding tactile feedback to the hovering
image in 3D free space.

Potential Future Use:

Tactile holograms have the potential to create a whole new environment for video
games, education, or for advertising with the ability to add the element of
touch to graphical displays in a real environment.

Virtualization Gate

Benjamin Petit, Thomas Dupeux, - INRIA; Jean-Denis Lesage - Grenoble
Universities; Hervé Mathieu - INRIA; EdmondBoyer - Grenoble Universities; Bruno
Raffin - INRIA; François Faure - Grenoble Universities; Clément Ménier, Florian
Geffray - 4D View Solutions; Laurence Boissieux, Michaël Adam, Florent Falipou -
INRIA; Richard Broadbridge - 4D View Solutions

Virtualization Gate uses a multi-camera acquisition space coupled with the
wearing of a head mounted display to immerse users in a virtual world. Your full
body will be virtualized to enforce your presence in the ever-expanding world of
social networking and allow intuitive interactions with virtual objects.

Potential Future Use:

With the ever increasing technology surrounding interactive and social
networking, Virtualization Gate is a revolutionary technology that allows users
to experience dynamic social networking in a virtual world.

For detailed information on the SIGGRAPH 2009 dynamically evolving program or to
download a copy of the SIGGRAPH 2009 Preview Video visit www.siggraph.org/s2009.

About SIGGRAPH

SIGGRAPH 2009 will bring an anticipated 20,000 computer graphics and interactive
technology professionals from six continents to New Orleans, Louisiana, USA for
the industry's most respected technical and creative programs focusing on
research, science, art, animation, music, gaming, interactivity, education, and
the web from Monday, 3 August through Friday, 7 August 2009 at the Ernest N.
Morial Convention Center. SIGGRAPH 2009 includes a three-day exhibition of
products and services from the computer graphics and interactive marketplace
from 4-6 August 2009. More than 200 international exhibiting companies are
expected. More details are available at www.siggraph.org/s2009.

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery www.acm.org, is the world's largest
educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers and
professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's
challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through
strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of
technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by
providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and
professional networking.

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SIGGRAPH
Brian Ban
+1.773.454.7423
media@siggraph.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009