We thought we’d share a bit more detail on the 4 example hacks that Tinker.it! and Hyper built, using the theme of much-loved 1980s toys and products, to highlight the new and impressive functionalities of the N900 & the Maemo Platform. First up we have the Viewmaster®, Now in 3D!

PUSH launch

Remember those red and blue paper glasses? Did you see Jaws 3D or Friday the 13th Part 3? Using the Nokia N900’s 5-megapixel camera and 800 X 480 widescreen display, you can create your own 3D memories. Look into the Viewmaster® to see miniature 3D images, or put on glasses to watch the show. Then create your own photo!

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Have your friends stand in the indicated area.
2. Move the Viewmaster® toward the side indicated by the yellow light.
3. Wait until the light turns green and you hear a beep.
4. Move the Viewmaster® to the other side, until that side’s light turns green and you hear a beep.
5. Look into the Viewmaster® to see your photo in 3D.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

A Nokia N900 is sitting inside the Viewmaster®. When you move the Viewmaster® to the left or to the right, you trigger a switch. An Arduino then sends a message over Bluetooth to the N900. A Python script receives that message and, using GStreamer (a library for controlling media playback that is included in Maemo 5.0), saves a frame from the camera as a JPEG. When two photos have been taken, numerical (a python library for manipulating arrays) is used to transform the size and color of the images, and pygame (an open-source python wrapper for controlling visuals,) is used to control the screen display.

Any 3D image actually needs two images. The two photos are taken several centimeters apart–about the distance between your two eyes. When you look into the Viewmaster, each eye is isolated to see only the photograph of what would be seen by that eye, and your brain resolves the two images into one 3D image. On the larger screen, the two images are colored red and blue and superimposed. The red and blue lenses of your glasses each cause one image to disappear, so each eye again sees a slightly different image, and your brain translates them into 3D.

Inspired? Then make a submission. Have questions? Then join in the discussion or get in touch.