14 DAY TRIAL // We are all living in a darker or lighter shadow of someone and we all brag about how well we know our friends. Who can say though that s/he is familiarized with the shadow (or shadows?) of even our best friends - not to talk about our enemies'. I think no one ever paid enough attention to the shadows of one's acquaintances.
Now, with the help of some Japanese researchers, we can find out more about each other and this in a very non-intrusive way. Named Teleshadow, the system transmits via net video images of what your friends are doing in their own homes.
This system - instead of showing images in full motion and color - transforms them into shadow outlines projected on the inside of a small decorative lamp. A very Asian way of seeing the world as the creator of this device, Shunpei Yasuda, admitted when he said that the inspiration for the system came from Japanese history.
For many years, he said, Japanese homes have had paper walls that divide some rooms. The thin walls preserve some privacy but the shadows cast on the paper as people move about also act as a reminder of that person's presence. Using the same principle, Teleshadow guards privacy and approaches rooms and people that may be far apart rather than 'next door'.
The creator of this gadget, Shunpei Yasuda - present at the Siggraph computer graphics convention held in San Diego - said that "the shadow presence system aims to fill the gap between live video and static images."
"Unlike a live video stream, the Teleshadow system preserves privacy by hiding details of what someone is doing", said Mr Yasuda. "Sometimes - Yasuda said - the video gives away information that people would rather was kept private."
Teleshadow seems to be the best way to know someone better without the sometimes quite aggressive intrusion of video images.
