Groovy Google Earth interface


Holographic Google Earth from Nicolas Loeillot on Vimeo.

How cool is this? Google Earth projected into the air as a 2D hologram? From the Google Earth Blog:
The technology comes from UbiqWindow and lets a computer screen be projected in mid-air. They have devised a touchless way to interact with the "hologram", and Google Earth is a great way to show off its capabilities. it's not a 3D projection, just 2D. But, it sure looks cool.

Comments (4)

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Newest 4 Comments

Looks way cool, and reminds me of a Google Earth-like tool my sadly deceased pen-pal Ewa and I came up with. This technology might actually allow it to come to fruition, as it provides the basic platform.

However, it does not look like the hologram is actually projected into the air yet! The video makes it difficult to see just what is happening, but I keep seeing vertical lines with differing light levels on either side, indicating a glass prism of some kind being used as a projection surface. If you watch the video of the pretty young "assistant" on their website, notice that she materializes in the same location and "disintegrates" within a rectangular boundary; and in the shots from the reverse angle one can see the reflection of the camera operator --- the "assistant" is projected into a glass prism, like most holograms.

I had imagined using a modified light-pen as an interface; but it appears that the computer's ability to track finger-movements is quite adequate.

Projecting the globe into the air would have allowed the controller to zoom in and out almost indefinitely while an audience watches from any number of angles. But I suppose a projection into an appropriately large prism would be almost as rewarding, and would not diminish the tool's effectiveness.
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What do you mean, indoctrintion?!?!?
I didn't hear any candidate being endorsed. All the kid said was "VOTE!" That is not indoctrination, its civic duty.

Definition:
Duty – noun, plural -ties.
1. something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.
2. the binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation.
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d, yeah how awful to encourage kids to love America, and love the fact we have the right to vote. You are absolutely right... we should, in fact, tell him how terrible America is, and why the whole world hates us.

(Personally I think this is cute. The kid is a little annoying, but what four-year-old isn't a little annoying?)
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What do you mean, indoctrination?
I didn’t hear any candidate being endorsed. All the kid said was “VOTE” That is not indoctrination, its civic duty.

Definition:
Duty – noun, plural -ties.
1. something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.
2. the binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right; moral or legal obligation.
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I see where the "nationalistic indoctrination" comment might come from. I, too, feel a little uneasy watching very young children pledging allegiance to any institution or conception (flag, country, god, etc.) aside from candy and playing. And recess.

It's not any less creepy because it's an American flag rather than another country's.
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yea, that kid pretty much proves how stupid and pointless it is to make kids(and only kids) say the pledge of allegiance. they don't understand what it means--it's just rote memorization and nothing more.

the video is cute, but i'm tired of being bashed over the head with the voting thing. my vote doesn't actually count, thanks to the electoral college, and after 2000, i have no plans on voting again until we move to direct elections, like most of the rest of the civilized world.
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what a bunch of grouches.

Back to the topic... My front door is about 20 feet from my polling place. I think I'll lose my citizenship if I don't vote in this election.
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Reechard, rahuu and I was defending the kid. I hope you didn't include us as "grouches" :-/

I like to see a kid that supports america. I think it means that his parents are probably telling him that right sort of things. :-)
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