Thursday, March 18, 2010

THE SKY’S UNLIMITED












I don’t know how I feel about this story the eminent Aeswiren sent over. Images in the sky could be damned psychedelic. I’m even far from unhappy if and when a Goodyear or Fuji blimp floats over. On the other hand, and knowing more than is good for me about the ways of the world, I foresee sky full of Coors and Nike adverts. I would never ever recommend blowing holes in the helicopter formations with a shotgun because I imagine that would be illegal in most states, but it might be aesthetically interesting. But what about some miniature version of the WWII barrage balloon?

“Mechanical fireflies could help create a new kind of 3-D display, say researchers at MIT. Standing in for the bioluminescent beetles will be LED-fitted, remotely controlled micro-helicopters that can be choreographed electronically to display shapes and images as they hover in midair. The project, called Flyfire, would use RC helicopters similar to the toys sold at the mall today. “Each of the helicopters then acts as what we call a smart pixel,” E Roon Kang, the MIT research fellow who is leading the project, told Wired.com. “By controlling their movement, we can have the pixels flying through the air.” The idea is almost all theoretical now since it is in its very early stages, says Kang. Researchers at MIT’s SENSEable City Lab and Aerospace Robotics and Embedded Systems (ARES) Lab are jointly developing the idea. In traditional displays, pixels are static and arranged on a flat surface. Finding a way to make truly three-dimensional displays has been a frequent subject of research, but few practical solutions have emerged despite decades of effort. The MIT researchers are betting that if each pixel can be made to hover in space and can be controlled reliably, they can create a giant 3-D display.” (Click here for more.)

Click here for Billy Fury

The secret name is Tinker Bell

Alex Chilton – RIP

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

It'll make the signs for strip clubs a lot more interesting... that's at least a positive.

Dick Headley said...

Who would have thought blimps and drones would be the next growth industry?

Mick said...

Seems like an apt metaphor for the modern world.

Your driver said...

Somebody tried to start something in San Francisco. They were going to project advertisements on the evening fog, which is usually quite low. If the plan had gone ahead I was seriously considering killing everyone involved. For some reason, technical, financial whatever, it didn't happen. Lucky for them. They even had the trucks set up and everything.

spolus said...

Jeff Noon was right!

Tomleen said...

Doing well ..Nice blog have enought information about rc helicopters , Electric RC Helicopters and toys