It’s part of The Curiosity Project, and it’s supposed to bridge the gap between digital media and print. The QR codes were crafted and then printed on posters, which were hung around New York City. Each QR code linked to a blog post on the Curiosity Project site.

They used Hershey’s Kisses, magnets, Post-It notes, and other stuff to make these QR codes. There’s nothing quite like QR codes you can eat after you’re done with them.

[via designboom]

It was created by the German designer Elena Belmann using hundreds of individual wooden cubes. The main reason why she created it was to find out what a two-dimensional object would look like in 3D, and if information could be embedded into a 3D object. She also wanted to find out if the QR code could still be scanned. The answer is yes. She doesn’t say what message or link this particular QR code conceals though. Perhaps it says something like “sit on it.”

Personally, I’d probably use this intricate structure as a mood light. I’m not a fan of stools, and for some reason, it looks somewhat delicate – and even more uncomfortable.

[via NOTCOT]

The creators call this their “Clock for Robots” and the idea is that the QR code would change dynamically depending on the current time. The Datamatrix Code Clock is quite visible, and allows robots (and humans) to read the time.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You never know when your robot will need to tell the time. Of course, the whole idea seems somewhat odd, because you’d expect robots to know the time thanks to their own computronic brains.

For now, the clock is just a concept, but I wouldn’t mind having one of those around. (TokyoFlash, are you listening?)

[via Make:]

Trimensional describes the app as a 3D scanner for the iPhone, but for now it only works with faces. A recent update allows you to create an animated GIF file of the 3D model to share with friends. With a $5 in-app purchase, you can output the scan as a 3D model and then send it to a 3D printer (printing cost not included). While not a lot of people have access to one, it sure makes it interesting.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

3D printing is one of the few forms of 3D technologies that I think is worthwhile. 3D screens aren’t really going to take off in my opinion, unless the 3D screens become like the Holodeck on the Starship Enterprise.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

By using the Kinect cameras to grab 3D scans of subjects, a team of engineers took this data to produce 3D printed versions of subjects who posed in front of the Kinect. The Fabricate Yourself project is the brainchild of Karl D.D. Willis of the Interactive Fabrication research initiative.

Demonstrated at the recent Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction Conference, the system captured images of passersby on a Kinect attached to a Mac, then output the images to STL files, which were later printed on a Dimension uPrint 3D printer. Before printing, the 3D models were augmented with dovetail joints to allow them to be arranged into a jigsaw puzzle-like display. Here’s a brief video of Fabricate Yourself in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Cool, no? I can only imagine that these sort of 3D image capture and printing systems could someday turn up in place of the old photo booth. Instead of printing out a little strip of photos, the Kinect photobooth would output a tiny 3-dimensional avatar of you.

At this point, 3D printing is too slow to provide the sort of instant gratification that a photo booth can, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the technology improves not only in speed, but in quality.

[via i.materialize (Thanks, Joris!)]

The new patent expands on the combination of wand and camera demonstrated at E3. Now, instead of simply recognizing and identifying that controller, it looks like Sony’s camera will be able to “read” any real-world item, coffee mugs to… is that a magnet? A 2D horseshoe? A giant wooden letter U? Whatever it is, the EyeToy will apparently be able to read it.

Used well, this could really opening up gaming to all sorts of experiences on a level heretofore unseen, edutainment games aside. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on!

[Siliconera via PS3Blog]

3D3 Solutions’ FlexScan3D lets you use an ordinary LCD projector and digital camera to help produce wireframes that can be imported into 3D computer graphics programs for use in art, animation, or rapid prototyping. Scans take just seconds, and can measure complex surfaces with an accuracy of +/- .01 inches and over 1 million points per scan.

Since the scanning technique projects a grid onto the target object and captures from the front, you can’t produce output that wraps around 360-degrees without stitching together multiple meshes. Good thing that 3D3 also makes a program called Leios Mesh, which helps you do this. As an added bonus for using digital cameras to capture the wireframe, you also can extract matching texture masks automagically.

The basic solution starts at $1499, but by the time you add on a projector and digital camera (if you don’t have these floating around somewhere already), the total cost of the system would be closer to $2500. Plan on spending close to $3000 if you want the version with Leios Mesh and other stitching automation tools.

Still it’s the least expensive way I can think of to capture large or unwieldy objects, since other low cost systems like the NextEngine ($2495) can only capture items about the size of a shoebox. Of course, if you’re really, really cheap, and don’t mind spending alot of time cleaning up your 3D objects, check out David 3D, which costs the low, low price of free.

USAA is now offering the ability for its members to deposit checks without ever leaving their house. Simply endorse your check, scan the front and back, and upload it to the USAA Deposit@Home service, and the deposit is immediately credited with no need to ever bring the physical check into the bank. Let’s hope more banks start to do this in the near future.

[via The Consumerist]