Lots of Balls
October 10th 2006 13:18
Forget silly computer graphics, the future is all about reality. It is about seeing things being created in front of you in real time. Does it sound farfetched that we may one day, in our own lifetimes, see massive structures creating themselves right before our eyes based on a 3D computer model? Well if ''Synthetic Reality',the main proponent behind this technology has its way we may start seeing prototypes of this technology within five years.
The technology doesn’t exist yet, not in the way we’d like it to, but the concept does. Basically we are talking about millions of little spheres all attached to a sheet of material moving around by way of magnetism and making structures with the sheet based on information a computer program is feeding it.
Very early prototypes of such technology exists, however by very early I mean nothing of what you might be imagining. Actually, it is nothing. The best we have so far is a computer based simulation of what might happen if it did happen… in two dimensions. Of course the world is in three dimensions so the computer simulation is no more than a ‘what if the world was in two dimensions’ thing.
Even assuming we get passed this part, and making something more real out of it, it will be very difficult to create the software that will control the potential millions of metallic spheres. In essence the software will have to work under a principle that will allow the spheres to decide for themselves where they shall end up.
The uses for such technology will be vast, from beds that make themselves to whole entire houses that build themselves from the ground up and everything in between (*cough* self folding car-in-a-briefcase *cough*).
If you are still struggling to comprehend the idea behind this technology you should note in ‘Batman Begins’ Batman’s cape assumes a hard shape when an electric current is run through it, which is basically what is trying to be achieved here. You can also visit a media page on the ‘Synthetic Reality’ website to gain a better understanding of just where were at with this technology and where we may very well be headed.
Among its advantages is that it may despite being made of millions of tiny metallic spheres be relatively light weight, certainly the potential strength of the material versus its weight will be a very good pay off.
It won’t be the be-all, end-all, once assuming a shape by way of magnetism it will lose its structure if the electric current providing the magnetic field to the spheres is disconnected the spheres will fall down. This may be solved by way of a ‘zipper’ effect in which once assuming their positions the spheres maintain each others positions by direct physical force rather than magnetic after which the electric current providing the magnetic feed can be disconnected. It can then later be reconnected with an electric current providing an opposite flux to disconnect the spheres from their physical grip of each other.
I don’t think it will end at tiny metallic spheres reshaping material into rigid structures. What if the actual spheres were the material? If they were small enough, and there were enough of them they would assume liquid form, perhaps they would be actual atoms or molecules being controlled via some form of electrical impulse? If such a thing could be achieved we would literally be looking at bringing in a real life T1000 Terminator.
it probably sounds like all wizwaz science fiction to you, right? It may not really reach the world of Hollywood for quite some time you should still keep in mind that such technology will have thousands of applications across the board when it is streamlined and it is definitely one to look out for… once were in the retirement village.
We still have a loooong way to go
Very early prototypes of such technology exists, however by very early I mean nothing of what you might be imagining. Actually, it is nothing. The best we have so far is a computer based simulation of what might happen if it did happen… in two dimensions. Of course the world is in three dimensions so the computer simulation is no more than a ‘what if the world was in two dimensions’ thing.
Even assuming we get passed this part, and making something more real out of it, it will be very difficult to create the software that will control the potential millions of metallic spheres. In essence the software will have to work under a principle that will allow the spheres to decide for themselves where they shall end up.
The uses for such technology will be vast, from beds that make themselves to whole entire houses that build themselves from the ground up and everything in between (*cough* self folding car-in-a-briefcase *cough*).
If you are still struggling to comprehend the idea behind this technology you should note in ‘Batman Begins’ Batman’s cape assumes a hard shape when an electric current is run through it, which is basically what is trying to be achieved here. You can also visit a media page on the ‘Synthetic Reality’ website to gain a better understanding of just where were at with this technology and where we may very well be headed.
Among its advantages is that it may despite being made of millions of tiny metallic spheres be relatively light weight, certainly the potential strength of the material versus its weight will be a very good pay off.
It won’t be the be-all, end-all, once assuming a shape by way of magnetism it will lose its structure if the electric current providing the magnetic field to the spheres is disconnected the spheres will fall down. This may be solved by way of a ‘zipper’ effect in which once assuming their positions the spheres maintain each others positions by direct physical force rather than magnetic after which the electric current providing the magnetic feed can be disconnected. It can then later be reconnected with an electric current providing an opposite flux to disconnect the spheres from their physical grip of each other.
How far away are we from creating this?
it probably sounds like all wizwaz science fiction to you, right? It may not really reach the world of Hollywood for quite some time you should still keep in mind that such technology will have thousands of applications across the board when it is streamlined and it is definitely one to look out for… once were in the retirement village.
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