4 ms·

Laser projection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x034jVB1avs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x034jVB1avs (Pong on a 20 story building, billboards, etc.) http

Laser projection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x034jVB1avs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x034jVB1avs (Pong on a 20 story building, billboards, etc.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S5_v2By3Ec http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S5_v2By3Ec (Multiple laser projectors) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m-A9LvPbmg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m-A9LvPbmg (Canny edge detector) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XTi-jf-ans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XTi-jf-ans (Asteroids on a 4 story building) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF_OCvjq3ps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF_OCvjq3ps (Reddit's Snoo on a 20 story building) I've just added a second projector and a few more dacs (thanks to a very generous donor). I'm doing multiprojection and rectification/distortion now. I'm planning to get Skyscraper Tetris and Breakout going with some additional hardware. I need about ten projectors at 60kpps (or 80kpps at low scan angle) with a combined wattage of 20W or so. I have endless ideas: I'll bring it online, do live art/graffiti, turn buildings into twitter feeds, multiplayer gaming, and NES emulator, etc. I wish I could afford more hardware and the ability to work on this full time. :(

billmalarky 13y ago
Curious, are there any safety implications? What happens if the light shines directly into someone's eyes? Like if you projected on a building and the laser light went through a window and hit someone in the eye.
mercuryrising 13y ago
I'm a little confused - what exactly are you doing? Are you making the projectors? Are you programming the game? What software are you using? Are you sensing what it's being projected on?
- possibilistic 13y ago
  Some of the hardware was built (one of the projectors), some of it is purchased (a second projector due to time constraints, and all of the DACs). The games, graphic engine, DAC comms, etc. are all programmed in a mix of Python and C++. Most projection software available is commercial and expensive, so I've rolled my own stack. I'm working towards surface distortion mapping, which is increasingly important in the umbrella concern of rectifying multiple projectors onto a single coplanar/colinear surface. I'm going to project a series of grids and have OpenCV automatically align all of the projectors. From there I'll be working with a logical "frame buffer" (really coordinate/transform buffer) that is relayed over the network to a graphics server that will dispatch the drawing jobs and topologically sort objects unless they have preassigned projector-affinity. As far as I know, nobody else is building a beowulf cluster of laser projectors for interactive display. That's my endgame. Really fluid, bright, fast laser light with incredible geometric output capacity. It won't be limited to 2D if I can get design a decent wireframe or clipping/culling engine.
  - frontendbeauty 13y ago
    That is just amazing. Keep it up.
  - sbarre 13y ago
    There is a company in Montreal called VYV (I am not associated with them but a friend works there) who are doing lots of projector/projection type work.. I don't know if they work with lasers but they are definitely working on solving the whole multi-projector and distortion mapping stuff that you're tackling.. They might be interested in talking to you, they're still fairly small and startup-ish but they're doing big things.. http://www.vyv.ca/ http://www.vyv.ca/
    - possibilistic 13y ago
      I'll definitely look into these guys. I'm unable to relocate right now, but there might be some future opportunity waiting. Thanks for the heads up!
cheeko1234 13y ago
I can imagine a future, where homeless people are playing pong on the wall of some gas station.
jbcurtin2 13y ago
Having a github or a website to follow this would be neat. I wouldn't mind playing a game of chess on the side of a building.
- jfriedly 13y ago
  https://github.com/echelon/laser-testbed https://github.com/echelon/laser-testbed You can also find more stuff that he's done at his website, http://brand.io/ http://brand.io/

billmalarky 13y ago

Curious, are there any safety implications? What happens if the light shines directly into someone's eyes? Like if you projected on a building and the laser light went through a window and hit someone in the eye.

mercuryrising 13y ago

I'm a little confused - what exactly are you doing? Are you making the projectors? Are you programming the game? What software are you using? Are you sensing what it's being projected on?

possibilistic 13y ago
Some of the hardware was built (one of the projectors), some of it is purchased (a second projector due to time constraints, and all of the DACs). The games, graphic engine, DAC comms, etc. are all programmed in a mix of Python and C++. Most projection software available is commercial and expensive, so I've rolled my own stack. I'm working towards surface distortion mapping, which is increasingly important in the umbrella concern of rectifying multiple projectors onto a single coplanar/colinear surface. I'm going to project a series of grids and have OpenCV automatically align all of the projectors. From there I'll be working with a logical "frame buffer" (really coordinate/transform buffer) that is relayed over the network to a graphics server that will dispatch the drawing jobs and topologically sort objects unless they have preassigned projector-affinity. As far as I know, nobody else is building a beowulf cluster of laser projectors for interactive display. That's my endgame. Really fluid, bright, fast laser light with incredible geometric output capacity. It won't be limited to 2D if I can get design a decent wireframe or clipping/culling engine.
- frontendbeauty 13y ago
  That is just amazing. Keep it up.
- sbarre 13y ago
  There is a company in Montreal called VYV (I am not associated with them but a friend works there) who are doing lots of projector/projection type work.. I don't know if they work with lasers but they are definitely working on solving the whole multi-projector and distortion mapping stuff that you're tackling.. They might be interested in talking to you, they're still fairly small and startup-ish but they're doing big things.. http://www.vyv.ca/ http://www.vyv.ca/
  - possibilistic 13y ago
    I'll definitely look into these guys. I'm unable to relocate right now, but there might be some future opportunity waiting. Thanks for the heads up!

cheeko1234 13y ago

I can imagine a future, where homeless people are playing pong on the wall of some gas station.

jbcurtin2 13y ago

Having a github or a website to follow this would be neat. I wouldn't mind playing a game of chess on the side of a building.

jfriedly 13y ago
https://github.com/echelon/laser-testbed https://github.com/echelon/laser-testbed You can also find more stuff that he's done at his website, http://brand.io/ http://brand.io/