Universal translators are something of a holy grail in mobile tech trends--and Microsoft's just revealed its latest effort at its own TechFest show. It's real-time. And it uses your own voice and face.
A team of animators has hacked Microsoft's Kinect sensor suite to create a motion-replication system that powers CGI characters. Remember Gollum in Lord of The Rings? Yup--kinda like that. (But way cheaper.)
One thing you aren't likely to hear Sunday night from the Oscar-winning producer after accepting the trophy for Best Picture: "I'd like to thank my neuroscience partners who helped us enhance the film's script, characters, and scenes." It's not that far-fetched, though.
Autodesk is known for its CAD software. Less well known are its Media & Entertainment tools, which have been used in every Visual Effects Oscar-winning movie for the last 15 years.
Robot fanatics, listen up: The company is now shipping its $15,000, friendly faced QB. (Wireless roaming, two-way streaming video, and high-definition zoom included.)
About 33% of box-office earnings are now generated from 3-D films, and in 2010 six of the top 10 highest-grossing movies were shot using the technology, with the top two, "Toy Story 3" and "Alice in Wonderland," banking more than a billion dollars each. That's where the trouble starts.
With its new glasses-free 3-D technology, Toshiba is trying to show that 3-D is just a feature on your laptop, no different than having an HD screen, a DVD burner, or a Wi-Fi connection.
