ZeroN levitating model could teach physics, help with 3D design

If you’ve ever done any work in 3D, or had to describe a 3D concept to someone, you might have noticed that it’s not that easy. It’s simple to think, and work, in terms of left/right/up/down, but throw in that third dimension and all of a sudden things get complex. This is especially true because our tools — like a mouse, computer display, and pen/paper — are designed to work in 2D. The ZeroN is a “physical/digital interaction element” that can help with these problems.

“Interaction element” is rather vague, so it’s best to think of the ZeroN has a levitating sphere that an be controlled by a computer. And the computer control isn’t just a nifty trick — it means that a degree of intelligence can be added to the model. For example a person can move the sphere and the computer can follow and record the path, playing at a later time. It’s a cool trick, but it’s just the start of what something like this could do.

One example in the video is the modeling of planetary movement. This type of thing might be hard to wrap your brain around, especially once multiple bodies are involved, but seeing it happen right in front of you could make a big difference. An even better example is using the sphere as a camera control for 3D animation/design. Just think of when you are playing a third-person game and you can’t get the camera to be just where you want it — there are people who have to deal with that all day.

The ZeroN project, which works using (you guessed it) magnetic levitation, was designed by Jinha Lee of the MIT Media Lab Tangible Media Group, along with Rehmi Post and advisor Hiroshi Ishii.

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