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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Goober5000 on September 05, 2013, 11:40:05 pm

Title: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: Goober5000 on September 05, 2013, 11:40:05 pm
Not the suit, but the design methods:

Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: watsisname on September 06, 2013, 12:12:38 am
That just might be the most awe inspiring thing I've seen all year.
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: headdie on September 06, 2013, 01:33:29 am
that is awesome the way those technologies are brought together
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: Colonol Dekker on September 06, 2013, 02:33:07 am
Do you think there's any way a Kinect could emulate those functions?
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: Unknown Target on September 07, 2013, 09:14:37 am
@Dekker: Yes, and if you use a pair of AR goggles like Google glas, with a custom modeling interface, you could make it an actual modeling tool like in Iron Man, instead of just a spinning model on a desktop.
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: Phantom Hoover on September 07, 2013, 10:47:02 am
i am in awe, how can one man create something at once so flashy and so worthless
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: Kiloku on September 07, 2013, 02:24:06 pm
Not worthless, but not as useful as people are making it out to be. It is better suited for visualization (which is the use he displays in the video) than actually modeling and assembling (which is what he said this could be used for). I can think of at least two more uses:
Education (showing children animated and interactive models for biology, astronomy, physics, chemistry and who knows what else)
Entertainment (With the Oculus Rift and the Virtuix Omni, if the precision for the sensor is good enough, you could have a nearly full VR experience, including the movement of your arms. The only thing missing would be tactile feedback)


And I didn't go really a centimeter out of the box. Someone more creative than I am could do WAY better.
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: Aesaar on September 07, 2013, 03:54:53 pm
If this had tactile feedback (like, say, with a pair of specialised gloves), it could actually be quite useful.
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: Phantom Hoover on September 07, 2013, 04:39:17 pm
I accept that the underlying technologies might be quite useful; however, I think the big error in these flashy interfaces is that they completely ignore the human brain's capacity for abstraction. If you understand a rocket engine or whatever thoroughly enough to actually be involved in its design, I think you will already have a more detailed and vivid mental image of its structure than this 3D motion-sensing toy.
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: Unknown Target on September 07, 2013, 05:18:40 pm
If this had tactile feedback (like, say, with a pair of specialised gloves), it could actually be quite useful.


Yep.
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: Klaustrophobia on September 07, 2013, 09:37:27 pm
I accept that the underlying technologies might be quite useful; however, I think the big error in these flashy interfaces is that they completely ignore the human brain's capacity for abstraction. If you understand a rocket engine or whatever thoroughly enough to actually be involved in its design, I think you will already have a more detailed and vivid mental image of its structure than this 3D motion-sensing toy.

I strongly disagree with this.  If you designed that PARTICULAR engine, maybe.  And still, only if there's been a physical model.  Having laid down a bunch of numbers and plan views still isn't the same as seeing a whole, no matter how deep your understanding is.  However if said rocket scientist wants to take a look at several other engines of different design, this kind of display has the potential to be a far more powerful tool than blueprints, drawings, and even traditional 3D models.  And then there's the fact that the vast majority of the people who come into contact with a particular design AREN'T among the handful who created it.  I wish like hell the plant manuals I've spent the last 2 years learning came in this format.
Title: Re: Elon Musk makes like Iron Man
Post by: TwentyPercentCooler on September 08, 2013, 12:36:49 am
I accept that the underlying technologies might be quite useful; however, I think the big error in these flashy interfaces is that they completely ignore the human brain's capacity for abstraction. If you understand a rocket engine or whatever thoroughly enough to actually be involved in its design, I think you will already have a more detailed and vivid mental image of its structure than this 3D motion-sensing toy.

I strongly disagree with this.  If you designed that PARTICULAR engine, maybe.  And still, only if there's been a physical model.  Having laid down a bunch of numbers and plan views still isn't the same as seeing a whole, no matter how deep your understanding is.  However if said rocket scientist wants to take a look at several other engines of different design, this kind of display has the potential to be a far more powerful tool than blueprints, drawings, and even traditional 3D models.  And then there's the fact that the vast majority of the people who come into contact with a particular design AREN'T among the handful who created it.  I wish like hell the plant manuals I've spent the last 2 years learning came in this format.

Yeah, I would tend to agree with this. It's a lot easier to get a feel for something, at least for me, if I can have something to manipulate with my hands. Tactile input or not, I could see this being helpful to a lot of people, especially if it's something that doesn't actually exist yet in physical form.