Have you ever heard of projection mapping? I’ve talked about it a few times over the years, but it’s better seen than explained. The Adidas France event I wrote about a few years ago was a great example, and it seems that the technology has only improved since then.
It looks amazing on large structures, and even more incredible on a moving human face. The following video has a rather bland title (REAL-TIME FACE TRACKING & PROJECTION MAPPING), but I promise you, your mind will be blown. This is an absolutely fantastic use of technology to create beautiful art.
This worked so well because the people that designed it managed to achieve very low latency tracking. If the system couldn’t track her face quickly, then the effect would have been greatly diminished. Instead, it looked a little like magic. As Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law states… Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Now, let’s… project, a little bit. What do you think we’ll be able to do with projection mapping in just a few short years?
I expect we’re going to see extremely low latency facial tracking and highly precise projection mapping, which could mean an entire stage of people having their faces altered in real time, and with higher fidelity than what we’re seeing now. Imagine this technology being used for a show like say, Cirque du Soleil. Perhaps we could even use it to reduce the cost of certain CG techniques in movies, like making people look younger. Think Jeff Bridges in the latest incarnation of TRON.
While I may not be able to predict the future, I think I can say one thing for sure: it’s going to be very futuristic. I mean, providing we don’t wipe out our own species before that happens.
