Tokyo lab demonstrates dynamic projection mapping on dancing man

A University of Tokyo laboratory has released a video showing projection mapping trained on a moving person, with the media even seeming to stretch and change form as they tug on their shirt.

Researchers at Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory created a system called DynaFlash v2 in a bid to “fuse reality and unreality in front of our eyes”.

In the video, the content is projected onto the person and able to move around and stay on target wherever the person goes, even as they manipulate their shape. The texture and smoothness of the image can also seem to change.

To make it happen, the researchers used an ultra-high-speed projector capable of switching images at up to 947 frames per second. This works in conjunction with a high-speed tracking system that recognises changes in the form of the 3D subject.

“We have developed a black and white projector which switches images at 1000 times per second, linked it to a sensing system which runs at the same speed, and attempted to fuse digital appearance and deforming or moving physical objects,” reads a statement on the research website.