[Dan Rosenfeld] does a lot of thinking in his spare time, and one thing he returns to pretty often is videoconferencing. He’s often wondered why it hasn’t caught on enough to become a ubiquitous piece of technology, and his examination of the topic in regards to eye contact and spatial awareness inspired him to create a very unique Halloween costume.
His “Big Head” costume consists of a front-mounted 24” LCD panel that displays the wearer’s face in real time. Inside the large headpiece [Dan] installed a microphone, another LCD screen, a half silvered mirror, and a video camera – not to mention all of the power-related goodies required to keep it running. While the main LCD displays his face, the internal monitor is fed by an externally mounted camera that shows him everything going on outside the box. This image is reflected off the half silvered mirror, allowing him to gaze directly at the camera, while also seeing what’s going on in front of him.
As you can see in the video below, the effect is pretty cool, and devoid of the ‘disconnected’ look most people have when talking to others via a camera and computer screen.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VY5dQqR-k&w=470]
Bravo!
dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip could have done with
that costume…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqnKbdqjh2I
design flaw: inhibits beer consumption.
otherwise awesome.
Just get a really long straw.
Cool use of tech right there!
I wonder if it could have been made a bit lighter by using a pico projector.
Just what I was thinking, also mabye a globe shaped head, projector surface, ala Jack-in-the-Box guy, but still its a quart of awsome in a pint pot.
to get that real time Max Headroom sound .i would use a modded dm452.i had one of them back in the day of c.b’s that thing was crazy.nice set up and good thing that other guy is helping him get around.just think what would happen if he tripped.
http://timfive.webs.com/newworkmandm4522.htm
That looks very heavy, and also very cool.
he used TN LCD panel so viewing at angles is totally shitty. 20′ and you see negative image.
Very cool but really cumbersome!! Could the monitor be exchange for some kind of optics for the outside displace… Idk just ideas. I love the concept though. Wanna see more!!
That’s a great effect. Seems like a good candidate for rear projection.
Well thought out to do the mirror so he stares directly out of the monitor, you have to respect such things.
Next year: Make two of them, and you can switch the video; display your own or show the other’s.
Haha I love it!
The poor viewing angle of the display really ruins the effect, or at least, that’s the impression I got from the video. Perhaps it looks better in person.
Is anyone else overcome by the instinctive urge to beat that thing with a shovel until it stops moving? (All in good fun of course)
Very cool.
I hope his back is okay.
Don’t forget: You have to have the right face for this to work, some people have faces that would make this become too unsettling.
Something to record the footage from the in-built webcam would have been cool, also side mount cameras and LCDs so people can see “straight through” your head / ears as it were.
Fantastic idea, good implementation, minor flaws. If he’d used a small projector onto a screen, he wouldn’t have those viewing angle artifacts, and the weight of the gear wouldn’t be so far out in front of him.
Personally, I couldn’t conceive of such a getup without trying to make it into The One Electronic.
Now that is COOL.