[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #352: Disney Research in wireless and mobile

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4cast #352: Disney Research in wireless and mobile
September 18th, 2013

Disney ResearchWe've recently seen a couple of intriguing stories about 
research projects involving unexpected uses of hands. One project uses 
vortices of air to enable people to feel virtual objects 
<http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/aireal/> as if they were touching 
an actual physical object. Another project transmits otherwise inaudible 
sounds from one person to another just by touching an ear 
<http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/ishin-den-shin/> with a finger. 
In both cases, the research comes from The Walt Disney Company, which 
might be unexpected until you consider that Disney is a very big user of 
technology, both in its films and in its theme parks. Some of the 
projects they are working on in the area of wireless and mobile 
computing might someday be useful for libraries. All links below are to 
Disney Research.

  * Transmit Diversity for Backscatter RFID
    <http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/transmit-diversity-for-backscatter-rfid/>
    "By adjusting the phase of the signal transmitted from each reader
    antenna to cancel the phase delay of the channel, the signals from
    each antenna add constructively at the RF tag; hence, the power
    delivered to the RF tag is maximized. This technology can improve
    the read range and reliability for radio frequency RF tags in
    applications with time-varying channels - e.g., backscatter sensors
    operating near moving people or where radio frequency identification
    (RFID) tags cannot be confined to a portal."
  * Geolocation <http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/geolocation/>
    "Drawbacks of GPS are high battery consumption and the need for a
    clear view of the sky, making it impractical in indoor areas,
    tree-covered zones, or similar environments where obstacles shadow
    the GPS signals. Approaches using the cellular network are not
    reliable and precise enough. In this project, we develop a station
    identity management system that preserves base station location
    privacy. The objective is to allow only authorized parties to obtain
    the locations of guests."
  * Multi-channel Acoustic Data Transmission to Ad-hoc Mobile Phone
    Arrays <http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/mobile-phone-arrays/>
    "For example, events in a movie can trigger additional and assisting
    information to appear on a phone's display. This is particularly
    attractive when there is no need for a wireless infrastructure.
    Avoiding the need for a dedicated wireless infrastructure, the movie
    (or show) can directly interact with phones in the audience,
    independently of the local resources."
  * Visible Light Communication
    <http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/visible-light-communication>
    "We call this concept Visible Light Communication (VLC) with
    LED-to-LED networking. Significant research contributions have been
    achieved by Disney Research in the area of networked systems for
    VLC. VLC creates opportunities for low-cost, safe, and
    environmentally friendly wireless communication solutions."

*/Disney fact:/*

Disney Research <http://www.disneyresearch.com/about-us/> is "an 
informal network of research labs that collaborate closely with academic 
institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University and the Swiss Federal 
Institute of Technology Zürich" that was launched in 2008, two years 
after The Walt Disney Company acquired Pixar Animation Studios and their 
technology assets.
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