Nursery youngsters enter a virtual world
By Rachel Pegg
Children help turn Dan Rickard into a real dinosaur (well, almost)
When Little Oaks nursery invited parents to come and talk about what they do for a living, they expected to hear from teachers, postmen or firefighters.
But the first parent to take them up on the offer had a much more unusual job - helping turn people into living cartoons.
Gemma Wallace works for Animazoo UK Ltd, a Brighton firm that creates animated figures which move, jump and walk just like a human being.
The digital company, based in Basin Road South, makes suits covered in electronic sensors which correspond to a cartoon figure on a computer.
When somebody puts on the suit, their movements are mirrored by the character on the screen.
This kind of technology has been used in films such as Shrek, King Kong, Happy Feet and Lord of the Rings, for Gollum.
advertisement
Children at Little Oaks in Islingword Road, Brighton were mesmerised by the magical technology when Animazoo visited them today.
Under-fours watched in amazement as support technician Dan Rickard turned into a giant mouse, a dinosaur, a gremlin and a cartoon boy.
They were soon taking it in turns to help move Dan's arms and watch the results and to copy the moves made by the dinosaur.
Nursery manager Emma Brooks said: "I think they really enjoyed it. They were a bit puzzled at first." She said the nursery was hoping to build more links with parents by having them in to do a show-and-tell.
[...]
The firm, which did a demonstration at London's Science Museum earlier this year, has sold kits to individuals who have an alter ego in the virtual online world of Second Life.
Marketing director Jo Hull said: "When you consider that our systems cost more than a family car, that is quite a big investment."
By Rachel Pegg
Children help turn Dan Rickard into a real dinosaur (well, almost)
When Little Oaks nursery invited parents to come and talk about what they do for a living, they expected to hear from teachers, postmen or firefighters.
But the first parent to take them up on the offer had a much more unusual job - helping turn people into living cartoons.
Gemma Wallace works for Animazoo UK Ltd, a Brighton firm that creates animated figures which move, jump and walk just like a human being.
The digital company, based in Basin Road South, makes suits covered in electronic sensors which correspond to a cartoon figure on a computer.
When somebody puts on the suit, their movements are mirrored by the character on the screen.
This kind of technology has been used in films such as Shrek, King Kong, Happy Feet and Lord of the Rings, for Gollum.
advertisement
Children at Little Oaks in Islingword Road, Brighton were mesmerised by the magical technology when Animazoo visited them today.
Under-fours watched in amazement as support technician Dan Rickard turned into a giant mouse, a dinosaur, a gremlin and a cartoon boy.
They were soon taking it in turns to help move Dan's arms and watch the results and to copy the moves made by the dinosaur.
Nursery manager Emma Brooks said: "I think they really enjoyed it. They were a bit puzzled at first." She said the nursery was hoping to build more links with parents by having them in to do a show-and-tell.
[...]
The firm, which did a demonstration at London's Science Museum earlier this year, has sold kits to individuals who have an alter ego in the virtual online world of Second Life.
Marketing director Jo Hull said: "When you consider that our systems cost more than a family car, that is quite a big investment."
There's more at http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.1452446.0.nursery_youngsters_enter_a_virtual_world.php
I wish I could have been there.