Visualization

The first direct visualization of the shape of a photon has been created. These particles of light are impossible to photograph, but UK physicists have now calculated their wave function to produce an accurate image of a photon as it’s emitted.

This intriguing NASA visualization shows how the powerful gravitational influence of a black hole dramatically warps the light emitted from material spiraling towards its event horizon.

We live in increasingly polarized times with increasingly entrenched views. Climate scientist Ed Hawkins hopes to persuade people of the threat of global warming with a new and striking way to visualize climate data: a series of vertical stripes that convey rising temperatures year on year.

​Having imagined a future of drinks mixing with its Makr Shakr robotic bartenders, design studio Carlo Ratti Associati has now developed a future food experience too. Visitors to Area del Futuro will be able to plant seeds for hydroponic cultivation and track their growth remotely via an app.​

NASA has released a browser-based application that allows citizen scientists to explore the surface of the asteroid Vesta. The 3D model was created from data harvested by the agency's Dawn spacecraft over the course of its year-long stay in orbit around the asteroid.

SciNet combines a conventional search interface with a radar-like interactive cloud of related keywords that can be combined or dragged toward/away from the center to improve results. It's intended especially for complex and exploratory searches and for overcoming the vocabulary mismatch problem.

WikiGalaxy is engineering student Owen Cornec’s reimagining of how we view and consume information – specifically Wikipedia pages. The project takes each individual entry on the online encyclopedia and plots it as a star in a virtual galaxy, that you can navigate from the comfort of your sofa.

A new augmented reality system from Israel's Cimagine Media uses a tablet or smartphone camera and sensors to position the virtual object in a room without the need for physical markers.

Notch is a sensor that you can attach to your clothes at specific points on your body to capture your movement information. Paired with an app that connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth, the prototype tracks how you run, skate, box or more, for you to review and improve your performance.

Augmented reality that's portable, multiuser, flexible, cheap, and intuitive? Gizmag demos the CastAR system at World Maker Faire 2013 and brings back all the details about a fun gadget that's gearing up to enter the marketplace.

Computer scientists have come up with a new simple, accurate way to simulate the appearance of fabric that could change the way artists and animators in the film and computer game industries go about the business of rendering computer-generated clothing and other materials.

Disney Research has developed an algorithm which can generate 3D computer models from 2D images in great detail, sufficient, it says, to meet the needs of video game and film makers.