Events
Partners — Who is eMove?
Animazoo
Animazoo sold its first version of its motion sensor system in California in January 1997 for £35K. It cost £15K to build. In 1998 the retail price was reduced to £15K and it cost £6K to hand make. In 2000 another effort brought the unit cost to £4K and finally in 2004 Animazoo embarked on an R&D effort to reduce the manufacturing cost of its cheapest systems to £2K at which it rests today. With this eMove collaboration, Animazoo will seek out ways to reduce manufacturing costs to the lowest level possible for which, Animazoo is best placed due to its extensive experience in dealing with complex sensors and production animation systems. A major source of strength for Animazoo is the feedback during the last 3 years from at least 100 users around the world. Animazoo will invite the same subcontractors it collaborated with in 2004 with one addition (Polymer Labs, USA) to help with the science of polymer technology to achieve hardness and viscosity objectives. Third parties will be contracted for plastic injection & rubber mould runs and aluminium castings and other hardware prototyping (Dr. Xiang, China, used since 2004), PCB design and layout (Ed Berlin, MIT, since 1999), mechanical designs (Mic Kinsey, Kent, since 2004), and for polymer design research (Polymer Laboratories, MA, USA, 2007).
For more information go to www.animazoo.com
Sussex University — Centre for Computer Graphics
The University of Sussex is ranked one of the leading institutions in the world for its teaching and research. Tables derived from the THES World University Ranking place Sussex 9th in the UK, 17th in Europe and 58th in the World. Its research centre (the Centre for Computer Graphics) associated with this project is located in the internationally renowned School of Informatics and has extensive experience in R&D on hardware and software of electronics systems, particularly focused on computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality, creative systems, (the centre has its own film studios primarily used for video production techniques and web casting). Recently completed projects relevant to this project include VIPERS—Virtual IP for Rapid Silicon Generation, a project funded by the European Union on virtual prototyping of VLSI devices and ARCO—Augmented Representation of Cultural Objects, another project funded by the EU to develop a client server based system for building virtual museums online that incorporate 3D, video, animation and other multimedia effects. We are also currently consulting with the Victoria and Albert Museum on the 3D reconstruction of ancient churches, and with immersive Displays Ltd on the 3D reconstruction of a Roman Vila for a theme park, both for which live online character animation afforded by the digital technology proposed in this project would be of immense value providing an innovative and unique angle to these virtual reconstructions.
For more information go to www.sussex.ac.uk/graphics
