Technabob » studio mongoose

IPhone Cluster Video Wall Plays Movies

Technabob — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 03:23:26 +0000

The guys at Japan’s Studio Mongoose are making some serious progress on their massively multi-iPhone display, for the first time showing off movie footage synchronized across multiple iPhones at the same exact moment.

Using a new piece of custom iOS software called SynchroMoviePlayer, they’re able to stream a single movie file, shared across all of the iPhones, and then broken up onto all of the screens. Here’s a quick video clip of the multiscreen action, playing a brief snippet from the TRON: Legacy trailer:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I can’t wait to see them get this working with hundreds of iPhones or iPads. Once they can work this out, I’m sure the possibilities for using these for backdrops for everything from rock concerts to tradeshows will truly come to light.

IPod Cluster Media: Multiple iPod Touches Get in Sync to Form Giant Display

Technabob — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:40:43 +0000

This interactive work of art uses 20 individual iPod Touches, tied together to produce synchronized visuals across all of the displays.

Created by Japan’s PROTOTYPE design team, iPod Cluster Media is an early proof-of-concept that stitches multiple independent iPod Touches into a hive-mind display wall. Each iPod Touch knows what the other one is up to, letting touch signals on one display influence all of the others. There’s even a remote-control iPod that can be used to send information to the display wall. Check out the video below to see some of the cool multi-multi-touch action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The system can even send control information to an external interface (notice the synchronized LED base in the video). PROTOTYPE envisions that their creation will one day be used for interactive digital signage for tradeshows and other exhibitions. While the first version of the iPod Cluster display is formed from a grid of 20 individual iPod Touches, but from the looks of this image, these guys have much, much bigger plans up their sleeves:

I really hope there’s an App for that some day real soon.

[via Mongoose Studios]

Rgby Color-Sensing Tech Goes Portable

Technabob — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 14:03:47 +0000

Remember the oh-so-cool RGBy Desk I showed you a few weeks back? The desk uses color sensors and tons of RGB LEDs to change colors to match items placed on top of it. But it was a one-of-a-kind piece that would probably cost thousands of dollars even if you could buy one. So I was excited when I came across these new mini color-morphing devices from the same guys.

Japan’s Mongoose Studio took the same basic color-chameleon technology found in the RGBy Desk and turned it on its head for the RGBy3.0. Each individual puck-shaped device can be placed on top of any object, detect its predominant color, and instantaneously replicate it.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

From the looks of these pictures I found over on their blog, I’m guessing Mongoose is ramping up production so you can buy these for yourself.

Pricing and availability hasn’t yet been announced, but I’m looking forward to getting my hands on some of these once they’re released later this year.

[UPDATE 3/10/2008: The RGBy is now available from Generate for a rather pricey $199]

Rgby LED Desktop Offers Chameleon-Like Surface

Technabob — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:29:15 +0000

This amazing LED tabletop surface can sense the color of objects placed on top of it, then automatically change its own colors to match.

The RGBy desk uses small clusters of photo sensors and multicolored LEDs to work its color-changing magic.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The RGBy desk was created as a collaboration between computer scientist Ichi Kanaya and designers Makoto Hirahara and Shinya Matsuyama of Japan’s Studio Mongoose (the same guys who brought us the super cool Bright Blind).

At this point, the desk is a one-of-a-kind piece, so don’t expect to find one in your living room any time soon.

[via MoCo Loco]