 |
AMOEBA Tank Forms Letters Today, Aliens From 'Abyss' Tomorrow
The AMOEBA (Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin), a circular tank created by Mitsui Engineering at their Akishima laboratory, is able to form letters with standing waves.
(AMOEBA wave pool)
This remarkable display device consists of fifty water wave generators surrounding a cylindrical tank 1.6 meters in diameter and 30 centimeters deep. The wave generators move vertically to produce cylindrical waves. These "pixels" are about ten centimeters in diameter and four centimeters in height; these form lines and shapes. The AMOEBA device can form all of the roman alphabet, as well as some kanji characters.
Each letter takes about fifteen seconds to produce; Akishima Labs expects to sell the device to amusement parks in a package that combines acoustics, lighting and fountain technology.
This device is also a good first step to the watery alien creations in the 1989 movie Abyss, which combined futuristic underwater technology with alien first encounter. The great special effects were groundbreaking; CGI effects like the ability to create irreguar objects and soft-edged objects were perfected. Convincing integration of CGI with the live action sequence was also achieved. If Akishima Labs maintains steady progress, it may be possible to achieve alien effects in fountains or other media.
(Alien creations from Abyss)
If you are interested in unusual displays, be sure to check out the Infernoptix Digital Pyrotechnics Matrix Display, a combination backyard barbeque grill and computer display, and the Brain Port Tongue Vision In Use By Navy SEALs. Story from Fujisankei Business (Japanese) via Edo; thanks to Adi for pointing out the Abyss reference.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 7/26/2006)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 3 )
Related News Stories - (" Display ")
AirTouch Panels Means No More Dirty Touchscreens!
Useful interfaces now appear in thin air.
Bosch Smartglasses Laser Paints AR Image On Your Retina
'Soon we'll be testing a system that projects directly on the retina of the eye.' - Pohl and Kornbluth, 1952.
A New Way To Run Into Things
'He made an adjustment, pointed the tube at the wall beside Etzwane, and projected a cone of light.' - Jack Vance, 1971.
Unfurl The Future! Huawei Mate X versus Galaxy Fold
'A paper thin polycarbon screen unfurled silently from the top of the unit and immediately grew rigid.' - William Gibson, 1986.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
Habitability Of Galactic Bulge - Good News For Foundation Fans
'Toran resigned himself to days of careful plotting between Jumps.'
Lava Tubes On Mars And Moon May Be Huge
'Most of the stuff written about Bats' Cave gives a wrong impression.'
Olfactory User Interfaces - Judith Amores Dissertation
Awakened with a whiff of lemon.
Personalized Masks Appear
'The tiger stripes on Jim's mask... made the young people easy to identify.'
Foiling Facial Recognition, Fighting Coaster Viruses, Harlan Ellison-Style
I have no mouth and I must scream.
Ford Uses Obedient Robot Dogs To Update Facilities Maps
'If he sent out two or three of the small tele-operated devices... [he] could see machinery and construction details in real time from both above and below.'
AirTouch Panels Means No More Dirty Touchscreens!
Useful interfaces now appear in thin air.
EllipticaRunner Robot Is Fast, Amazing, Slightly Worrisome
'THEY sent A SLAMHOUND on Turner's trail in New Delhi...'
SPECTER Electroshock Round Fireable From Shotgun
'...the balls sent by this gun are not ordinary balls, but little
cases of glass.'
100 Terabyte Exadrive SSD Also Has Biggest Price
'A man could carry AIs or complete planetary dataspheres in a Schrön loop.'
Mechanical Milking Of Microalgae For Fuel Production
'They call 'em culture tanks. They have bugs -- germs -- growing in them.'
Feel Virtual Reality In Mid-Air!
'...a pressure on the lips - warm and soft, moist and sweet.'
Electric Lasso Gives Police Options
'The blast of silver threads enveloped her...'
TytoCare Offers Futuristic Home Care
'Immediately an enormous apparatus fell on to her out of the ceiling...'
Powdered Regolith Propulsion
'... filling their great tanks with the finely divided dust which the ionic rockets would spit out in electrified jets.'
Ford's SafeCap, Opposite Of Niven and Barnes' Napcap
'In the napcap a client became an instant yoga master...'
