the prettiest robot . net - Magrathea
Magrathea is an experimental computer interface using a Kinect, OpenFrameworks, and about a gallon of homemade play-dough.
It was a collaboration with my then-classmate Timothy Sherman.
(He's the voice; I'm the one with the messy hands.)
Transcription from the video:
Magrathea uses the Kinect camera to dynamically generate a landscape out of any structure or object.
The Kinect takes a depth reading of what's built on the table in front of it, which is then rendered live on screen as terrain using OpenFrameworks and OpenGL.
The depth reading is mapped to a polygonal mesh which then has textures dynamically applied to it based on the height and slope of the structure.
For example, steep slopes are given a rocky texture and grassy areas a grassy one.
As the user builds and removes, the landscape correspondingly grows and sinks out of the ocean, shifting into a new configuration.
The landscape can be made from anything, such as blocks, boxes, the human body, and even a giant mound of dough.
Thank you for watching, and we hope you enjoyed Magrathea.
