Variable Depth of Field Images

From the mad scientist video lab comes: Variable Depth of Field Images.

Variable DOF images are interactive photos that allow you to change the focal point of the photo while you view it. You click on a part of the image and that part of the image pops into focus. In other words, the focal point is "variable."

When I learned how to do this, it triggered my evil laugh reflex and I had to experiment. Here are a couple of my hastily assembled attempts.

Shout out to Eric for pointing me to this lifehacker post which features this nifty variable DOF generater by Chaos Collective.

Attempt #1: Kitchen Table

1. Arrange cactus and candy.
2. Use wide open aperture.
3. Eat candy.
4. Do not eat cactus.

Attempt #2: WildDog

1. Set up camera.
2. Bribe subject.
3. Work quickly.

Attempt #3: WildDog

My new robot friends need names.

These two robots are always ready to give a helping hand. I met them during our visit to the UT @ Austin robotics lab. Josh introduced us to the robots, which are used for testing human interface programs. The robot being controled by the computer terminal uses an infrared camera to populate objects in a 3D space. With that data, Josh can see the area where the robot is operating on his monitor and click on objects he wants it to interact with.

The only problem? The robots need names!