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29 May 2013

Stop-motion Atomation!


Hi everyone,

Today I wanted to blog about something that isn't especially new in the world of geeks but something that a lot of you may not yet have seen.


I came across an piece of work that claimed to be "The worlds smallest movie" and was intrigued. After some investigation I found the animation, which was called "A boy and his atom" created by IBM. This is basically a short movie created by moving and manipulating individual atoms on a copper plate, using a scanning tunnelling microscope.

IBM's scanning tunnelling microscope - image courtesy of Google images

The concept sounds crazy but is surprisingly quite effective, as well as visually pleasing. The technology involved in creating the animation is technically beyond my comprehension but sounds more like science fiction than science fact. That being said, this is an amazing achievement and really is a great bridge between creativity and technology.

The copper plate which is the background to the animation - courtesy of Google images

I have noticed something cool on the image below of the scanning tunnelling microscope , check it out!

The scanning tunnelling microscope - courtesy of Google images

A couple of quick facts about atoms: 

Atoms are so small that there are more atoms in a single grain of sand than there are grains of sand on an entire beach!

You could fit over 2 billion atoms in the full stop at the end of this sentence.

The size of an atom - courtesy of Google images

Please see the award winning animation below:




I hope you enjoyed the animation, there is plenty of information on how they created it on the link above.

Happy reading
Media productions

www.sovibrant.co.uk


24 May 2013

Artist of the Week : Juraj Talcik

Good afternoon readers and welcome to another installment of Artist of the Week.

Today we bring you Juraj Talacik from Bratislava in Slovakia. Fairly new to the architectural and interior design industry, Juraj is defiantly making a name for himself with his stunning photo realistic renders.

Juraj owns a small digital studio aimed at creating marketing visuals for such products as furniture, interiors, exteriors and landscaping. Taking inspiration and reference from nature itself, he has a keen eye for building the realism in to every visual... Just check out these incredible 3D renders

Or visit his Facebook page HERE



SoVibrant / Media Productions

22 May 2013

Building a 3D printer with a 3D printer!


Hi everyone,

Today, I wanted to post something that I found on-line which has got me thinking about what the future has to offer.

The link below is basically about an architect who has created a 3D printer using a 3D printer. Now this is all very straight forward, you print out the components and then construct the new printer from those parts. Please see the link below for the article which is a great concept and really shows the power and versatility of modern 3D printers. 





CAD model of the parts to be printed

Gordon Laplante with his prototype 3D Printer

Printed components ready to be assembled

Printing a lego block to demonstrate the printers capability

This story also gives us a small snapshot as to how the future of manufacture and industry could be shaped. As the 3D printing technology progresses and improves, there is no limit to what could be created and replicated using printing technology.

This almost leads on to the question of self-replication. If a printer in the modern day can, in essence, replicate itself (with our input), maybe there will be robots some day that will do the same, but on their own. Most people have seen at least one apocalyptic film involving robots such as I-Robot of The Terminator.. That world might not be as far away as we may think!  Da... Da... Daaaaaaaaa!

All of the images above are copyright and courtesy of www.theinquirer.net.

Happy reading

Media productions
www.sovibrant.co.uk



16 May 2013

Stranger Visions - A unique take on self portraits


Hello readers,

Today I pose a question, one that the majority of people reading this will have never considered. 

"How much of a trace do you leave during your day to day routine?" 

I'm not talking about a digital trace like CCTV imagery, using your credit card or signing in at work. I'm referring to the physical trace you leave behind. Let me give you a few examples. Do any of you travel on public transport? Well whilst using this service you will most likely leave a trace of skin cells, hair fiber's, saliva etc. A bit disgusting but we all do it. Also how many times have you dropped that cigarette butt on the floor, or flicked that piece of chewing gum away when it's lost its taste? Every day we leave a physical trace without ever considering it.

 How many times have you seen a used cigarette in the street?

The people of Brooklyn probably didn't consider it either, but unknown to them there was someone who had considered it and was using it in a way they would never of expected. The examples of the physical trace I gave all had a connection, something that linked them back to the person responsible. That connection is DNA, and we leave a trace of our DNA no matter how small where ever we go.

So why I am asking this question and talking about DNA and discarded pieces of chewing gum? Well DNA holds a genetic blueprint of whoever it belongs to, so in theory a person's genetic blueprint could be obtained from a used cigarette.

In Brooklyn information artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg wanted to find out what kind of characteristics of a person could be unlocked solely using their DNA. 

Working with Genspace, a local DIY genetics lab in Brooklyn, Heather met several biologists who taught her everything she needed to know about molecular biology and DNA. Using a technique called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) allowed heather to study regions of the human genome that differed from person to person. These are called  SNPs or Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. Allowing her to identify certain characteristics.

So working with the genetics lab the data extracted from this process would be analyzed in a computer program developed by heather. This could then determine physical traits from which a digital 3D model can be created of the subjects face. Heather would add some finishing touches to the model using 3D software before getting the face physically printed with a Zcorp printer

Below are a selection of portraits created from Heather process.




Heather admits that this process can't be 100% accurate as the data obtained from the genome has no way of determining age, so she makes all the portraits as if the person was around 25 years of age. These portraits are more an approximation of the anonymous subject, a family resemblance, rather than a life like representation. 

Heather Dewey-Hagborg with a self portrait using her own DNA.

When exhibiting this work there is no way to tell how accurate these portraits are, as a subject has never recognized themselves in one of her exhibitions. But under each portrait the is an example of where the DNA came from the the characteristics obtain from the DNA.

Heather's Portraits on show.

Example of where the subjects DNA was obtained and the characteristics that resulted from the process.

So think about this the next time you throw that cigarette on the floor.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan Blackburn - Media Productions