Dancing the Earth: Markerless Motion Capture, Mixed Reality, and Whole Body Metaphors for Environmen

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Dancing the EarthMarkerless Motion
Capture,Mixed Reality, and Whole Body Metaphors
for Environmental Education

• J. Michael Moshell
• University of Central Florida
• November 2008

/www.deakin.edu.au
earthshope.org
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Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida 30m capital expansion
2.8m NSF Grant Waters Journey Through the
Everglades MODS UCF Media Convergence
Laboratory
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• Media Convergence Lab
• A UCF Lab at Institute for
• Simulation and Training
• Computer Science
• Digital Media
• History
• Philosophy
• Education

Sea Creatures Mixed Reality at the Orlando
Science Center The Dinosaur Hall was filled
with water, plesiosaurs .
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Waters Journey Through the Everglades

• Everglades Restoration Project
• MODS Central theme for Environmental Ed
• Focal species
• River Otters

www.fas.edu
Nationalgeographic.com
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The usual exposition an example The
hydrological cycle Maybe its animated. Maybe
it has audio. But it has no PROTAGONISTS. And
it has no INTERACTION.
http//www.tiimes.ucar.edu/highlights/fy06/images/
hydrological20cycle.jpg
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Stories are the software of humankind. A
protagonist, a goal, an obstacle the victory
remembered.
Jim story
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The anonymous protagonist/victim Show some
living things that are being impacted But this
dead fish didnt Have a life. Lets give It
one. Show a story about the Heroic fish
struggling Against all odds to Make it upstream
to Their ancestral ..etc
www.mojoinchina.com
www.greenpeace.org
www.stormyportlodge.com
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Now you have some protagonists And as they seem
to Be about to succeed, You put an obstacle In
their way. Low rainfall means that The fish
ladders are not working at the dam. Now the
hard part Avoiding the goody two-shoes
Problem. The polemic answer blow up the dam!
doesnt teach anything.
www.mojoinchina.com
Pics4.city-data/com/cpicc/cfiles35762.jpg
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Will Wright The best story in a game is the one
the players tell after they have played.
www.berkeley.edu
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Will Wright The best story in a game is the one
the players tell after they have played.

• So, we framed our problem
• Create an environment
• where museum visitors
• will naturally
• CREATE STORIES
• and play the heros
• role in them.

www.berkeley.edu
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Invasive Species The Asian Climbing Fern
http//www.invasive.org
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Invasive Species The Asian Climbing Fern
Fl Dept of Natural Resources Spot application of
herbicide, fire
http//www.invasive.org
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Invasive Species Enacting an Eradication Campaign
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Invasive Species Enacting an Eradication Campaign
Project a map on the floor

• Organize guests into a skirmish line across
  state
• Sweep southward, spraying the invasive sites

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Invasive Species Enacting an Eradication Campaign

• But hurricane Charlie spreads the spores
  beyond
• the eradication program which fails

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• The GladeSim Concept
• Use an environmental simulation
• Provide guests with a challenge
• Ask THEM to invent a solution
• Ask guest to enact the solution
• Explore the consequences
• i. e. improvise with the guests

aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu
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ATLSS Across Trophic Layer System Simulation (U.
S. Geological Survey, U. of Tennessee)
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The guest enacts the Otter Avatar .. while the
Wizard controls the simulation. ... introduces
prey, predators .... helps the guest live like
an otter
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Turtle Talk with Crush .. Disney World ..
disneyworld.disney.go.com
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If guests make up creatures, our virtual
docent must have resources to create the image.
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If guests make up creatures, our virtual
docent must have resources to create the image.
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If guests make up creatures, our virtual
docent must have resources to create the image.
Florida has over a million retirees a major
source of volunteer support. How can we
connect them to MODS (and museums everywhere?)
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A retired engineer works with the ATLSS Simulation
A former artist helps with preparation of sketch
animals
Gladesim is the back office system Mixed
Reality/Motion Capture is the front office
interface Objective Museum visitors play with a
Virtual Everglades and learn how the REAL
Everglades works.
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• STATUS
• GladeSim is being built with current NSF grant
• Dancing the Everglades is subject of new NSF
  proposal
• Virtual Docent model under development
• with the Interactive Performance Laboratory
• (Jeff Wirth, UCF Digital Media)