Microsoft Research teams up with Disney-Pixar

Nov 19, 2008 10:11 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is bringing the small robot designed as a waste allocation load lifter - Earth class to its virtual telescope, made available to computers worldwide. The Redmond company has introduced a new tour of the WorldWide Telescope, featuring the popular robot from Disney-Pixar’s animated motion picture, and is inviting users to explore the universe along with WALL-E. Narrating the new tour added to the WorldWide Telescope is none other than the director of WALL-E.

“Using Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope, WALL-E takes you on a real ride through space,” revealed WALL-E Academy-Award-winning director Andrew Stanton. “After watching the movie on DVD, the whole family will be inspired to learn more about the world in which we live and the universe beyond."

The WorldWide Telescope is a project developed by Microsoft Research, with the aim of bringing imagery from the top ground- and space-based telescopes worldwide, and make the content available from any machine connected to the Internet. Build with the the Microsoft high performance Visual Experience Engine, the Web 2.0 visualization software environment delivers a blend of terabytes of imagery, enabling users to take an intimate look at the universe.

The partnership with Disney-Pixar is an obvious attempt from Microsoft to attract a younger audience to the WorldWide Telescope. In this regard, it is not just WALL-E that has come to WWT, but also the other way around, since Microsoft included a taste of the tour on the DVD and Blu-ray Disc containing the movie.

“WorldWide Telescope is about making science fun for everyone,” added Curtis Wong, manager of Microsoft’s Next Media Research Group. “By working with Disney-Pixar, we’re enabling kids and families to discover the magic of the universe for themselves in an even more engaging way. What could be more fun than exploring space with a famous robot?”