Human Body – Radical Atoms

Deep Space 8K: Cinematic Rendering—Dissecting Theatre of the Future

katjani — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:45:07 +0000

Considering how computer tomography (CT) makes it possible to look inside the human body without resorting to a scalpel is actually quite fascinating in its own right, but the app Cinematic Rendering at the Deep Space 8K takes the teaching of the anatomy of the human body to the next Level.

Cinematic Rendering is a completely new way to learn anatomy. For the first time, anatomy studies feature living human bodies. What we display here are data sets derived from examinations using computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In Deep Space 8K, these data sets can be screened three-dimensionally in extraordinary detail on huge projection surfaces. About two years ago, Siemens Healthineers began developing this software at Princeton. The idea for it came from the animated film industry. The aim was to develop a program that could depict medical imaging data from CT and MR scans as photorealistically as computer animations produced in a Hollywood studio. This is the reasoning behind the Name Cinematic Rendering. Nevertheless, this program is still just a prototype and it will be a while until it is authorized for commercial use. But in the meantime, in Prof. Franz Fellner’s view, Deep Space 8K fits perfectly as a dissecting theater of the future, which makes it possible to show real human anatomy as it has never been seen before.

Credits: Prim. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Franz Fellner (AT) of Kepler University Hospital and Klaus Engel (DE) of Siemens Healthineers present this new way of teaching the anatomy of the human body with fascinating new forms of three-dimensional anatomical visualizations that deliver photorealistic images of the human body.

touch the sound 2.0 / sound-sculpting

Vanessa Graf — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 07:38:10 +0000

Sound is said to be intangible, but it can be felt. Sound is considered ephemeral; nevertheless, it constantly surrounds us. Sound is movement and yet it can be perceived only when sound waves strike our body. In the wake of touch my sound, touch the sound 2.0 / sound-sculpting by Werner Jauk now makes another concerted effort to focus auditory attention on the importance of the interface that is the human body and to explore the reality-constructions of two dissimilar, sensory forms of interaction—on one hand, mechanical, passive, analytical hearing of fleeting sounds; on the other, active deployment of our sensory apparatus and thus synthesizing vision. The systemic variation of them forms the sound into stationary gestalts, models of the physically tangible materialization of immateriality.

Constantinos Miltiades, TUG – IAM
Julian Jauk, TUG – IAM
Marco Edlinger, KFUG – UNI IT
Doris Jauk-Hinz, grelle musik
Kevin Kolditz, FHS – MMA
Bence Toth, FHS – MMA

Artifical Skins and Bones

Martin Hieslmair — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 13:17:01 +0000

Artificial Skins and Bones Group (DE)

Nature’s patterns, structures, and functions are an endless source of inspiration. We started off our project course Artificial Skins and Bones by looking into our body’s design, and examining elements that may be applied to the design process of artificial bodies. The idea for this topic developed through our collaboration with Ottobock, the world market leader in prosthetics. Through workshops with their technicians and physiotherapists, interviews with amputees, and a visit to Ottobock’s research and production hub in Duderstadt, we added additional topics to our agenda: the language of sensation, interaction with artificial body parts, and the aesthetics of artificial bodies and their relationship to the aesthetics of natural bodies.

Visible Strength

by Lisa Stohn and Jhu-Ting Yang proposes a flexible, creature-like textile surface that, like an octopus, changes its color and pattern in various ways through muscle stimuli.

Trans.fur

by Karina Wirth and Natalie Peter is the development of intelligent textiles, capable of altering moisture permeability by adjusting their surface structures. Inspiration for this project was the most versatile organ in the human body: skin.

Technology, Temperature, and Textiles

by Stephanie Natrass is an e-textiles material research project that embeds sensing and actuation into textile surface constructions.

Naturanslation

by Babette Wiezorek explores the nature and potential of organically inspired 3D grid structures by applying algorithmic design and 3D printing to microstructures.

Audio Gait

by Agnes Rosengren and Bernardo Aviles-Busch sonifies movements to aid the understanding of body balance while walking. The portable system is an easy learning aid for shin prosthetics training, which translates walking movements into auditory feedback.

Active

by Hans Illiger looks into the rehabilitation process of lower limb amputees, and proposes a service design concept as well as a hardware solution for gathering movement data.

Shortcut

by David Kaltenbach, Maximilian Mahal, and Lucas Rex is a customizable Human Interface Device (HID) for upper limb amputees. The bracelet detects sensory muscular impulses in the phantom hand, translating them into contactless and intuitive computer controlling.

Tactile Sensation

by Nina Rossow explores two possibilities of displaying information through tactile feedback: Sens_mat allows passive tactile recognition of materials when direct contact is not possible. Sens_dia simplifies descriptions in pain diagnostics and offers a non-verbal and body specific communication.

The Aesthetics of the Uncanny

by Carmina Blank and Sandra Stark explores the delicate balance between familiar prosthesis design standards and uncanniness. The team researched how targeted material conception can help to understand and control this phenomenon, and can be taken into conscious consideration during the design process.

Interview

Read an interview elaborating on “Artificial Skins and Bones” at our Ars Electronica Blog.

Artificial Skins and Bones Group

The Artificial Skins and Bones Group (DE) is an interdisciplinary group of young designers from Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin. Their expertise ranges from textile, surface and product design to fashion and visual communications. In the Artificial Skins and Bones project the group freely explored the design of, and interaction with, artificial bodies and body parts. The projects presented illustrate a great variety of possible starting points, prototyping techniques, and application scenarios. We hope that the outcome is a valuable contribution to the future exploration of artificial bodies and prosthetic designs.

Project credits

Artificial Skins and Bones Group:
Course Instructors: Prof. Wolf Jeschonnek, Prof. Mika Satomi
Participating Students: Bernardo Aviles-Busch, Carmina Blank, Hans Illiger, David Kaltenbach, Maximilian Mahal, Stephanie Nattrass, Natalie Peter, Lucas Rex, Agnes Rosengren, Nina Rossow, Sandra Stark, Lisa Stohn, Babette Wiezorek, Karina Wirth, Jhuting Yang

Main project partners:
Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee, Fab Lab Berlin, Ottobock Healthcare GmbH, Makea Industries GmbH

HACKberry

Martin Hieslmair — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 09:08:29 +0000

exiii (JP)

HACKberry is an open-source 3D-printable bionic arm (i.e. motorized hand that a person missing a hand can control intuitively via muscle signals in their residual arm). All the technical data including 3D CAD file, software code, circuit diagram, and bill of materials are disclosed as open-source under Creative Commons license. In this way, private developers around the world can replicate and customize it for whoever it can help in their local area. Since its launch in May 2015, many sub-projects have branched out globally, refining the quality of the hand and growing local communities. For example, a child-size version was created in Poland while a girl in U.S. was provided with locally produced HACKberry by a local makers community.

It is noteworthy that HACKberry and its precedent models (handiii, handiii COYOTE) have received several international design awards including the James Dyson Award in UK, the iF Gold Award in Germany, and the Good Design Award in Japan, which has attracted both developers and potential users to join the open-source community.

About

exiii (JP). In May 2013 Genta Kondo, Hiroshi Yamaura, and Tetsuya Konishi started to develop an affordable and fashionable bionic-hand handiii using a 3D-printer. In March 2014 they met Akira Morikawa, the first amputee to test handiii, and decided to start their own company, exiii, after receiving positive feedback. In March 2015, exiii demonstrated the 4th generation model COYOTE with Akira at SXSW, and their project received global media attention. In May 2015, exiii launched the 5th generation model HACKberry. All of its data is open source.