Moonwalk by Dean Potter

January 20th, 2013 | Space

Dean Potter Moonwalk

Dean Potter is the world-renowned American free climber, alpinist, base jumper, and highliner featured in the video above.  He’s conquered some of the world’s most challenging peaks WITHOUT a rope!  He has speed soloed Half Dome, El Capitan, Cerro Torre, and Fitzroy.

The Moonwalk above is located on a highline at Cathedral Peak, as part of a project for National Geographic called The Man Who Can Fly.

When asked to describe the experience in a recent interview, here’s was Dean had to say:

Did the Moon look like it does in the photo with the naked eye?

Potter: Photographer Mikey Schaefer was taking the photographs from approximately 1.2 miles west of the highline. For him, the moon and myself looked exactly like you see it in this picture. From my vantage point on the summit of the Cathedral Peak, the moon was higher in the sky and it looked as the moon always looks to us mortals on the ground.
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Looks like you don’t have any protection.
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What would you have done if you had fallen?

Potter : I’ve always been a “free soloist.” Whatever I do, I long to be untethered and free. This desire for freedom goes far beyond the highline to every facet of life. Freedom is our most fundamental right. I am completely confident with my ability to catch the line if I were to fall. I’ve practiced this catch move successfully for the past 19 years.

And here’s a few more photos from the National Geographic episode which aired on Sunday, February 8th, 2013 at 8pm:

Dean Potter Free Climbing Cathedral Park

Dean Potter soloing El Capitan

The Workshop

-RSB

Balancing Rocks from Michael Grab

January 13th, 2013 | Space

Balancing Rocks 1

Balancing Rocks 2

Balancing Rocks 3

Balancing Rocks 4
Balancing Rocks 6

Balancing Rocks 7

Balancing Rocks 5

Michael Grab is responsible for these alien-like organic sculptures made only from balancing rocks. You won’t find any hidden adhesive like tape or glue keeping these structures in order.
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 It is simply the force of gravity at work.

This must certainly be a labor of love because to imagine the sheer number of failures it took to get these just right is maddening.

Here is Michael discussing one such experience:

“So much care and attention must be paid to the overall balance the entire time. If not observed carefully, one small rock can bring down the massive blob of rocks. I had it happen at the end of an attempted blob…the one that would have been done before this one. LEARNING EXPERIENCE. So I took the lesson and applied it to this particular blob. This one actually rocked in the wind and scared the hell out of me a few times.

My body closely tuned with the feeling of the blob. There’s a point of feeling when I KNEW it would collapse without me. Instant adrenaline.”

At this point, you may be asking yourself how these feats are possible.  Well, Michael says:

“The most fundamental element of balancing in a physical sense is finding some kind of ‘tripod’ for the rock to stand on. Every rock is covered in a variety of tiny to large indentations that can act as a tripod for the rock to stand upright, or in most orientations you can think of with other rocks. By paying close attention to the feeling of the rocks, you will start to feel even the smallest clicks as the notches of the rocks in contact are moving over one another.”

And here’s a video demonstrating his the craft:

The force is strong with this one.

-RSB

Miniature Synthesizers from Dan McPharlin

January 8th, 2013 | Robot

Miniature Synthesizers

Miniature Synthesizer for Esquire Magazine

Hexatron

Miniature Synthesizers

Analogue Miniature Synthesizer
 Miniature Synthesizers
Miniature Synthesizers

The Australian artist Dan McPharlin is responsible for these incredible miniature synthesizers.  Dan certainly has an eye for science-fiction art.  He’s created album covers, logos, and illustrations for magazines, but these tiny keyboards are my personal favorite.

Unfortunately, the synthesizers are not playable, but maybe that’s asking a bit much.
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When asked about his interest in Synthesizers and Music in an interview, Dan responded:

“Music is very important. I feel a bit like I’m losing my soul if I’m not creating music regularly. The things I’m drawn to in music are similar to those I’m drawn to in visual art; form, space, atmosphere. I love music that evokes strange worlds, sound environments that seem more like natural phenomena than anything created by human or machine. I’m always listening to something while I work on my art; there are a handful of artists that tend to inspire the right mood while I’m creating; Gyorgy Ligeti, Arvo Part, Klaus Schulze, Jeff Mills, Basic Channel, Toru Takemitsu are a few names that come to mind.
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“

Also impressive is the sheer number of the miniature synthesizers he’s created.  Check them all out at his Flickr page.

-RSB

Anamorphic Illusions

January 4th, 2013 | Brain

Anamorphic Illusions

Anamorphic Illusions are distorted projections or perspectives requiring the viewer to occupy a specific vantage point to reconstitute the image.  In other words, you must be looking at the right angle for the optical illusion to work.

You may have seen these on streets around the world like this one or this one, but I’ve personally never seen an illusion quite as real as the video above.  The color, shadow, and texture are all spot on. I had to pause and rewind three times to soak it in.
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Here are some illustrations that demonstrate how the illusion is created:

anamorphic illusions diagram

Anamorphic Illusions Example

As you saw in the video, it’s necessary to stand at the right angle or you will lose the 3D effect.

I would really like to see one of these in person some day…

-RSB

Robotic Arm Driven by Brain (Update)

January 2nd, 2013 | Brain, Robot

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I’ve posted about this before (here), but 60 Minutes did a nice special on the advancement of Robotic Limbs, so I thought I would post an update.  The 2 main advancements I’ve noticed are that scientists have begun to add touch sensation to some of the prosthetics.  This will give the user the feeling that the prosthetic is actually a part of them and not just some strapped-on tool.  And secondly, this new brain-powered robotic arm appears to have much greater finesse than previous models.

I wrote a bit about how it works in the past, so I pasted that here:

The technology basically works by implanting a sensor in the motor cortex of the brain (see below).  This sensor reads the brain’s electrical “thoughts” and then sends them to an external computer for decoding.  This decoded signal is then transferred to the robotic arm so that it can deliver the coffee (or whatever else the user desires).

Motor and Somatosensory Cortex

 

Needless to say, I’m pretty excited about the emerging field of Neuroengineering.  Infection will always be a major concern for any implanted device, and especially when it’s located in the brain, but I’m sure scientists will find a way to make this feasible for the longterm.  One day, you WILL see tetraplegics walking around in robotic suits.

Robotic Suit - Exoskeleton

 

Exciting things to come in 2013 and beyond!

-RSB

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