Computer origami and VR - How games help science.
51Games and science are inextricably linked. For example, puzzles and games are full of math, and origami can also be seen as a set of mathematical folding techniques. And when economists see society as one big game, how can they change the rules and steer the game? Meanwhile, the game world and the reality are increasingly fusing. What does this mean for our place in the world?
Original title: De speler
Mathematical player Erik Demaine was a homeschooled prodigy, and went to university at 12. At 20, Erik Demaine became a teacher of computer science at the MIT in Boston, and is now a professor. Demaine investigates how to capture daily practice in algorithms. An important part of that work is his research into computational origami, in which he uses the computer to discover new folding patterns. His work contributes through smarter folding to new medicine, telecommunications, architecture and more. To study the mathematics behind folding patterns, he studies games, from Tetris and Mario World to origami and board games.
More than 20 years ago, when you had never heard of it, Carolina Cruz-Neira was one of the world's largest virtual reality experts. Her VR lab, the Emerging Analytic Center in Little Rock (Arkansas, USA) is world-renowned. Cruz-Neira wants to fuse virtual reality with real reality. What is reality actually and what is mixed reality? In what world will we live, and how does that change our identity? She learns a lot of her son Alexander, who gets drunk with VR.
"Do not guess, experiment!" That's the motto of economist and game distributor John A. List.
If your economy can be seen as a big game, List questions, how can we change the rules of the game so that the game will bring more winners than losers? Economics is primarily a theoretical subject, on which policy is made at the highest and most impactful level. But are those theories correct? John List found a workable way to test big economic in practice.
The Mind of the Universe is an international science documentary series and open source platform about the rapid evolution of our knowledge. It explores the human destiny and the world of tomorrow through the eyes of the greatest thinkers and scientists of our time. In each episode, a typical human quality takes centre stage, in which the scientists and their research are embedded.
Originally broadcasted by VPRO in 2017.
© VPRO Backlight June 2017
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Credits:
Presented by: Robbert Dijkgraaf
Editor in chief and script: Rob van Hattum
Direction & Editor: Kees Brouwer, Gijs Swantee, Sander Cijsouw
Research: Frederique Melman, Remy van den Brand, Anna Gimbrere, Wiesje Kuijpers, Gerko Wessel
Production: Madeleine Somer, Jordy van Langen (stage), May-Linn Tsiang (stage)
Cross Media Manager: Eef Grob
Redaction: Elmar Veerman, Marijn van der Waa, Bram van Dijk (stage), Imani van Oosterhout (stage), Yfke van der Ploeg (stage)
Media Manager & Assistant: Olivier Schuringa, Pardis Faqiri (stage)
Camera: Chris Blokhuis, Hans Bouma, Martijn Cousijn, Jacko van ’t Hof, Job Kraaijeveld, Sjoerd Vogel, Karsten Hohmann
Sound: Daan Arens, Dennis Kersten, Jillis Schriel, Mark Witte,Gregor Koppenburg, Bidisha Das, Pedro Rodriques da Silva
Translation: Lei Fang, Sasja Yakovleva, Alexandra de Vries
Script editing: Caroline Ligthart
Editing: Jeroen van den Berk, Sander Cijsouw, Tim van der Maden, Olivier van der Zee
Design: Jurriaan Schalken
Composition: Jos Jansen (Big Orange)
International partners and Education: Fred Mulder
In cooperation with: Tijl van Huijkelom
English, French and Spanish subtitles: Ericsson.
French and Spanish subtitles are co-funded by European Union.