frog design has decided to include Canesta Inc.’s 3-D sensor technology as the main item in the launch party of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Conference, a reality-themed event being conducted at Austin, Texas.
frog design, a leading innovation commercialization company with a focus on state-of-the-art, emerging technologies, has helped several major companies in the world to develop and commercialize useful products and services.
Canesta’s technology selected by frog design for the event was aimed at evaluating interactive environments for video gaming. Dynamic visualizations of the depth of the environments shown using large projections, on a 12’ x 9’ screen, and enabling user control in a range of games of retro arcade and rotating styles created a gripping experience for users during the event. Users enjoyed being transformed into a spaceship in “Galaga” or “Mario” in “Mario land.”
This Augmented Reality Project at the SXSW event was made possible by the use of 3-D sensors. Depth data was shown on in subtle ways by deploying technology enabling visualizations to bring about a feeling of awe in the visuals and enhance their appeal from being merely beautiful and fun-filled. Understandably, users were totally engrossed in the visuals and the crowd’s ecstasy was evident.
frog design’s principal technologist Jared Ficklin, who also conceptualized the launch party visuals, stated that imparting depth to a conventional 3-D experience allows users to take part in it in natural way without the use of controllers, by simply using their hands to display an interaction. He also added that the 3-D input technology from Canesta was vital to the success of the user experience that frog design has managed to create for users at the event. Ficklin believes that the technology is capable of transforming the way users relate to several video and artistic interactive devices in the future, including presence-sensing and gesture-controlled TVs. He added that the technology can also impart a new dimension to multi-touch PCs and mobile phones of the future.
Besides producing 3-D sensor chips, Canesta has pioneered the electronic perception technology. Canesta is regarded capable of commercializing 3-D input and natural user interfaces (NUI) at affordable prices to mass market consumers. Canasta president Jim Spare expressed delight over frog design having chosen the company’s technology and believes that 3-D input will significantly transform user experiences with every kind of interactive device in the future.