So my last post was about an exciting and vaguely scientific new technology that allowed baseball card companies to project 3D images and animations of the players on the cards when they were held up to a webcam.  I attempted to justify this post on a blog about the role of science in society by citing the technology of how scientific dynamism can dramatically transform a concept and a technology.  Admittedly, in this case it was only baseball cards, but the transformation from cardboard to three-dimensional animation was so dramatic that I thought it warranted mention and bodes well for other technologies.  Although I stand by that argument, I’d like to make another to go along with it.

It appears General Electric is making use of a similar technology for an interactive advertisement on their website.  On the site you can print out a sheet of paper, hold it up to your webcam, and get a 3D animation (this time spinning windmills and flowing water).  It’s very similar to what Topps has done, but their motivation for doing it is completely different.  When Topps designed the 3D baseball cards, they were designing a specific product that was the target of everything from market research to branding to scientific innovation.  However, when GE made the advertisement, they were using an existing technology for use in a new way, in this case advertising a smart electricity grid.  There are two reasons why I think this is important.   (Read more…)