3d illusion arts: Walyou

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Kinect-Powered PomPom Mirror Highlights Fluffiness
Keep Warm During Winter with a Nerdalize eRadiator
Samsung patents a laptop with a phablet dock

Kinect-Powered PomPom Mirror Highlights Fluffiness

Posted: 29 May 2015 09:00 AM PDT

Snow White’s stepmother would have a hard time finding out who’s the fairest of them all, as everyone’s reflection in this Kinect-powered mirror looks equally fluffy.

New York artist Daniel Rozin seems to have developed an obsession for mirrors, considering that most of his portfolio focuses on them. His latest creation, simply titled PomPom Mirror, might convince you that Rozin is not a big fan of sharpness. The contraption makes use of a Kinect sensor, motors and plenty of faux fur pom poms to create fluffy reflections of whoever stands in front of it.

Obviously, the effect couldn’t have been achieved with a small number of faux fur pom poms and motors. With that in mind, Rozin employed 464 motors that turn 928 spherical puffs from beige to black depending on what motion is captured by the Kinect sensor.

People’s reaction to seeing this concept is preponderantly positive, with some of them even wanting to sleep on this mirror. Well, the surface definitely wouldn’t suffice, but maybe that’s what people should suggest Rodin to try in this future projects: a full length mirror that doubles as a fluffy mattress when not in use. After all, the ladies may want to admire their dresses, and the current PomPom Mirror cannot encompass their entire length.

The Kinect sensor tracks the people standing in front of the mirror and sends the data to a microcontroller that, in turn, flips the motors to determine the change in color. The reflection appears in real-time, but don’t expect instant reactions. After all, something as fluffy as this mirror shouldn’t make sudden moves, as they would contradict the whole concept. One might argue that the fluffy mirror has a life of its own, and if you’re considering its aspect and motion, you wouldn’t be that far from the truth.

In case the above video isn’t enough for you, and you happen to be in the Big Apple these days, don’t hesitate to visit the Descent with Modification artworks exhibition. Rozin’s PomPom Mirror is currently showcased there, and can be tested by any of the visitors. The exhibition runs through July 1, 2015, so don’t miss your chance of witnessing a completely unique form of art. Unique and fluffy, that is.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the depth-sensing cameras on Kinect v2, or how Disney Aireal enhances Kinect gaming with tactile feedback.

Keep Warm During Winter with a Nerdalize eRadiator

Posted: 29 May 2015 07:35 AM PDT

We keep hearing that winter is coming, so we might as well prepare for it. Dutch startup Nerdalize suggests to replace radiators with heat-producing data servers.

The Nerdalize eRadiator, as the Dutch company named its brainchild, is what others call a data furnace. In other words, behind the radiator looks there is a small server that generates up to 1000 watts of heating.

Tech giants know that maintaining a data center can often be a nightmare, due to all the heat that needs to be dissipated, so that the servers run properly. Nerdalize has figured that all that excess heat could be put to good use, and looked to a target audience that needs it: common householders.

There are two per-requisites to getting an eRadiator (well, three, if you also take money into consideration). Householders need to have a fiber-optic connection, as well as an external wall. Since this is basically a data server, it’s pretty obvious what the fiber-optic connection might be needed for. As for the external wall, it is required for dissipating the heat when it is not needed inside the house. That’s right, people are giving the option to turn off the eRadiator, case in which the server keeps going. Come to think of it, if people couldn’t turn it off, it would be impossible to stay indoors during the summer.

This is not the first time a company is considering using the heat generated by data servers to warm up something. The concept has also been studied by Microsoft Research, who also published a research paper about it, back in 2011. Three years earlier, in 2008, IBM used the waste heat generated by a data center in Zurich to heat a swimming pool in a nearby town. Nerdalize just proves that this could also be done at a smaller scale.

For the time being, only Dutch people can have a Nerdalize eRadiator set up inside their homes, and the whole operation costs between €400 and €500 ($440 to $550). It takes less than a year for the investment to return, which is pretty spectacular. Hopefully, the Nerdalize data furnace will find its way to other European countries, as most people with a fiber-optic connection wouldn’t mind hosting a data server in exchange for heat.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the fierce thermosaurus radiator that keeps you sweating, or the electric radiator heater shaped like a paper clip.

Samsung patents a laptop with a phablet dock

Posted: 28 May 2015 11:03 AM PDT

Samsung have just patented a laptop model that has an integrated dock to plug in a phablet. It’s easy: the phablet will be the heart that powers and gives life to this computer.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has revealed a project by Korean giant Samsung that will attempt to refloat an idea Motorola had a while ago, with their Atrix line. Samsung intend to create a laptop that will use a phablet dock which will, in turn, act as the heart and core of this computer. And here’s the most interesting bit: Samsung devices all run on Android OS, but this laptop would be running the computer’s own version of Windows instead.

The patent does not clarify whether this laptop will be functional at all by using just the tablet, if it will posess an additional battery or just drain from the tablet itself, and leaves us with more questions than answers: could this merely be a keyboard and screen to attach to our Galaxy phablets, or something entirely different and more interesting?

The Korean giant has not made any comments on this topic, regardless of this information being revealed. We do not know for certain when will there be official information, product specs, or even a code name for this project. What is certain, though, is that Samsung seem to want to dip their toes on an segment of the market that has been rather neglected as of late, and hope to design a product that, if done well, has a lot potential.

Motorola abandoned the idea after the release of the Atrix 2, a device that was perfectly functional and good enough, but failed to catch the interest of the masses. Now, Samsung attempt to take this segment and replace smartphones with phablets instead – will this make a difference?

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories at Samsung and Samsonite are working on smart luggage and Android 5.1 is coming to Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.