By Bill Christensen
Alien creations from "Abyss." Credit: Twentieth Century Fox
A new technology allows researchers to write on water.
The AMOEBA (Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin), a circular tank created by Mitsui Engineering at their Akishima laboratory, is able form letters with standing waves.
Each letter takes about fifteen seconds to produce; Akishima Labs expects to sell the device to amusement parks in a package that combines acoustics, lighting and fountain technology.
This device is also a good first step to the watery alien creations in the 1989 movie "Abyss," which combined futuristic underwater technology with alien first encounter. The great special effects were groundbreaking; CGI effects like the ability to create irreguar objects and soft-edged objects were perfected. Convincing integration of CGI with the live action sequence was also achieved. If Akishima Labs maintains steady progress, it may be possible to achieve alien effects in fountains or other media. Read more…
http://www.livescience.com/technology/060726_water_write.html
