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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | A P R I L 2 0 1 5

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STRESS RELIEF

ROBOT FLIES THE FRIENDLY SKIES

The first robot passenger traveled from Los Angeles to Frank-

furt late last year. Despite causing quite a stir when boarding the

plane, Athena, dressed in a t-shirt and red shoes, received no spe-

cial treatment—like most of us, she flew economy class. During the

nine-hour flight, the robotic creation was accompanied by scien-

tists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germa-

ny. Athena made the flight to acquire many new skills: standing,

balancing, walking, and various other activities she can use to as-

sist people in daily life. The humanoid robot, measuring 1.88 m in

height and weighing only 48 kg, stands on two legs and has feet.

She is part of a project aimed at developing truly autonomous ro-

bots.

3D-PRINTED PRINCESS HAIR

Researchers at Disney Research Zurich and the University of Zaragoza, Germany, developed a method that can incorporate an

individual’s hairstyle as well as facial features into miniature figurines. They were inspired by artistic sculptures, such as Michelange-

lo’s David, which reproduce the essence of a hairstyle, but in the solid form of a helmet. In the case of 3D-printed figurines, research-

ers sought to retain the appearance of directional wisps and the overall flow of hair, as well as color. Beginning with several color

images captured of the subject’s head, the system first computes a coarse geometry for the surface of the hair. Color information

from the images is then added, matching shades as closely as possible. In the next step, color stylization, the level of detail is reduced

enough to enable the representation to be miniaturized and reproduced, while preserving the hairstyle’s defining features. Finally,

geometric details are added in a way that is consistent with the color stylization.

WORLD’S LARGEST FLAG MADE OF PENCILS

The General Directorate of Civil Defense achieved a newGuinness World Record by form-

ing the world’s largest flagmade of pencils. The UAE flag was displayed in the courtyard of the

Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi to celebrate the 43rd UAE National Day.

The previous record was shattered by the construction of a national flag that stretched

over 1000 m

with one million pencils, using 250,000 for each color. The department received

the record holder certificate for the World’s Largest National Flag Made of Pencils from Guin-

ness World Records.

As the first humanoid robot to pay for a seat on a commercial

flight, Athena traveled in style, dressed in a white t-shirt and

red shoes. Courtesy of MPI for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen.

The first method to capture an individual’s hair style (left) in a manner suitable for miniaturization and physical reproduction while still preserv-

ing the essential visual look of the style (right).

Abu Dhabi Civil Defense sets a new record with this unusual

flag made of colored pencils. Courtesy of Business Wire.