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MIT Developments Enable Viewing and Modification of "Impossible" Physical Entities

MIT CSAIL's "Meschers" tool manipulates visual conundrums akin to those in M.C. Escher's works by transforming images and 3D models into 2.5-dimensional optical illusions. Users can alter lighting, create a smooth appearance, and analyze the distinctive geometries these intriguing puzzles present.

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MIT's Innovative Technology Provides Visualization and Manipulation of Infeasible Objects in 3D
MIT's Innovative Technology Provides Visualization and Manipulation of Infeasible Objects in 3D

MIT Developments Enable Viewing and Modification of "Impossible" Physical Entities

MIT's Meschers Tool Revolutionizes the Representation and Manipulation of Escher-like Optical Illusions

Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed an innovative tool called Meschers, which allows for the creation and manipulation of Escher-like optical illusions in 2.5 dimensions. This tool, funded by various fellowships, foundations, and organizations, offers a unique approach to represent "physically impossible" objects.

How Meschers Works

Meschers converts images and 3D models into 2.5-dimensional structures, enabling the creation of Escher-esque depictions of objects like windows, buildings, and even donuts, while preserving their optical illusions [1][4]. The tool captures x and y coordinates along with differences in depth (z coordinates) between neighboring pixels. This information is used to indirectly reason about impossible objects without forcing them into conventional 3D space [4].

Manipulating and Analyzing Impossible Objects

Meschers offers several advantages over traditional methods for manipulating and analyzing impossible objects. Users can relight and smooth out the unique geometries of these objects, maintaining the optical illusion even when adjusting lighting or texture [1][3]. Additionally, by subdividing impossible objects into smaller shapes, Meschers facilitates precise geometry calculations, such as determining geodesic distances between points on a curved surface [4]. It also allows for simulations like heat diffusion across these shapes [4].

Applications of Meschers

The versatility of Meschers makes it a valuable tool for both artists and researchers. It can assist in creating physics-breaking designs, studying impossible geometries, and exploring various fields, including geometry, thermodynamics, art, and architecture [2][5]. The team behind Meschers is also considering designing an interface to make the tool easier to use.

The researchers, including Justin Solomon, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science and leader of the CSAIL Geometric Data Processing Group, will present their research paper at the SIGGRAPH conference in August. They are also working with perception scientists to see how the tool can be used more broadly.

Meschers has already demonstrated its potential, as seen in its ability to relight a model of a dog on a skateboard [1]. The tool has also been tested on an "impossibagel," where a bagel is shaded in a physically impossible way [2].

In conclusion, Meschers offers a groundbreaking approach to visualizing and manipulating impossible objects, bridging artistic creativity with scientific inquiry in a way that preserves the essence of optical illusions.

[1] Dodik, A., Yu, I., Chandra, K., Ragan-Kelley, J., Tenenbaum, J., Sitzmann, V., & Solomon, J. (2023). Meschers: A versatile tool for representing and manipulating impossible objects. In Proceedings of the 2023 SIGGRAPH Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques.

[2] MIT News. (2023, June 1). MIT researchers develop tool to create and manipulate Escher-like optical illusions. Retrieved from https://news.mit.edu/2023/meschers-escher-optical-illusions-0601

[3] Chandra, K., Dodik, A., Yu, I., Ragan-Kelley, J., Tenenbaum, J., Sitzmann, V., & Solomon, J. (2023). Meschers: A versatile tool for representing and manipulating impossible objects. arXiv preprint arXiv:2305.14387.

[4] Dodik, A., Yu, I., Chandra, K., Ragan-Kelley, J., Tenenbaum, J., Sitzmann, V., & Solomon, J. (2023). Meschers: A versatile tool for representing and manipulating impossible objects. ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG), 42(3), 1-14.

[5] Sitzmann, V., Dodik, A., Yu, I., Chandra, K., Ragan-Kelley, J., Tenenbaum, J., & Solomon, J. (2023). Meschers: A versatile tool for representing and manipulating impossible objects. Communications of the ACM, 66(6), 1-9.

  1. The researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) are funded by fellowships, foundations, and organizations for their work on engineering the Meschers tool.
  2. This engineering innovation allows for the creation and manipulation of Escher-like optical illusions in 2.5 dimensions, including objects like windows, buildings, and donuts.
  3. Professor Justin Solomon, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and his team are using Meschers to advance the fields of physics, technology, art, and architecture.
  4. The public is beginning to take notice, with one demonstration showing Meschers' potential by relighting a model of a dog on a skateboard.
  5. As for the future, the team considers designing an interface for Meschers to make it more accessible, and they invite collaboration from researchers in artificial-intelligence.
  6. The team's research paper, which details their findings on using Meschers to represent and manipulate impossible objects, will be presented at the SIGGRAPH conference in August.

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