Touching Molecules With Your Bare Hands

FiReaNGeL writes "Researchers at the Scripps Institute just devised an incredibly interactive way to manipulate complex molecules, such as proteins and DNA, with your bare hands. Combining 3D printed hand-held objects with sophisticated computer displays & cameras, this technology allow more natural and intuitive interactions with biological molecules - you can manipulate them with your hands and visualize the results on the computer in real time. Don't miss the incredibly cool movies and images illustrating the 3D printing process and augmented reality interaction with diverse proteins, viral self-assembly simulation and HIV-1 protease folding. A detailed press release is available."

Comments

Haptic interfaces

[G4from128k]

In preslashdot days, there was a segment of the VR community working on force-feedback (haptic) interfaces. In one application, a 6-DOF, 3-D mouse let a researcher "hold" a simulated molecule and "feel" how that molecule fit into a receptor site of an enzyme. Computing the forces required high-end equipment at the time, but should be very doable today if one had the specialized interface hardware.

Stephenson wins again

[Sairret]

I always knew Diamond Age had it right.

Re:Augmented reality...

[NSObject]

IMO, not as impressive as a video I saw, where there was a desk that had virtual (i.e. you could put your hand through them) objects moving around and interacting with some real objects (a plug outlet). Also had a guy turning his mic into a rose. I forget the link.

The company is Total Immersion. The video you're talking about can be seen here.

Previous Work

[IronicCheese]

You REALLY have to give a tip of the hat to the folks at UNC who've been doing this sort of work for YEARS.

Their GRASP system was a force-feedback molecule-docking simulation driven by a motorized WALDO arm. Very impressive. Nice to see that others are following in their footsteps.

http://www.cs.unc.edu/Research/nano/cismm/

Re:Rubic Cube

[TapeCutter]

I was about 25 when Rubik's cube came out and was facinated as to why the corners didn't fall off. A couple of days after buying a cube I was a my parents house and dear old dad was fiddling with a cube. He had been a mechanical engineer most of his life so I asked him "why don't the corners fall off" - "Oh it's just got keys that fit into channels on a ball". I still had to pull the cube to bits before I could "visualise" how it worked.

To be able to do the same sort of thing with molecules to explore self-assembly seems (to me anyway) a fantastic development. I wonder if furniture places like "Ikea" have heard of this. They could pour the tiny pieces in a box and let the vibration of home delivery assemble the furnitue.