Emerging Technologies

Unique, eclectic, and diverse — these words symbolize this year's offerings in the Emerging Technologies venue. The jury selected a wide variety of creative technology to include advancements defined as either small steps or large strides, showcasing the pivotal importance of all types of innovation. New to this year's space is the “Fusion Midway,” which will be located between Emerging Technologies and the Art Gallery. “Many of these exhibits are interactive and just plain fun,” says Emerging Technologies Chair Tom Craven. “They'll give attendees the challenge of deciding whether it is art or technology.”

Hiroyuki Kajimoto, University of Tokyo

Utilizing advancements from the SmartTouch system exhibited at SIGGRAPH 2003, the Forehead Retina System gives sight to the visually impaired. A headband with a built-in camera converts frontal view data into vision through the tactile electrical stimulation of 512 incorporated electrodes. The project strives to create an inexpensive and unobtrusive system that gives rich, dynamic 2D information to the blind.

Hidei Kimura, Burton Inc.

This is the first successful attempt to display “true 3D images,” out of thin air, utilizing laser plasma technology. Constructed with a breakthrough plasma emission phenomenon, real 3D images are created within X, Y, and Z axes by focusing laser light on dot arrays in the air. Eventually this project seeks to serve laser-produced characters for entertainment, emergency information, or advertising in the sky.

Thomas Sangild Sorenson, Centre for Advanced Visualisation and Interaction, University of Aarhus, Denmark

This year, attendees can test their operation skills by attempting to close a ventricular septal defect of the heart using a new training tool. Devised to help surgeons learn their way around complex open-heart surgeries, 3D MRI data mixed with graphical settings (to represent a surgical environment) provide morphologically accurate replicas of deformed hearts. The GPU that runs the simulation supports elastic tissue movements including grabbing, cutting, and suturing with haptic feedback.