ORGANIC MOTION WINS POPULAR MECHANICS BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATOR AWARD
Award Recognizes Technology and its Potential to Deliver Life-Changing Innovations Across a Range of Industries
NEW YORK - OCT. 15, 2008 - Popular Mechanics, a leading science and technology publication, has recognized Andrew Tschesnok and Jonathan Rand, executives of Organic Motion, as "Breakthrough Innovators" at the fourth annual Breakthrough Technology Awards. The accolade recognizes life-changing innovations across a range of industries, with previous winners including the makers of the X-Plane, affordable hydrogen fuel researchers at GE, and products like the iPhone. Organic Motion has created advanced computer vision technologies which enable a computer to understand and track the precise movements of the human body. This "markerless" motion capture system, which does not require subjects to wear any special outfits or attached tracking devices, is already being implemented in advanced medical research, sporting goods retail stores, training regimen assessment, and even as user interfaces in large public interactive and gaming installations.
"This year's roster of winners is especially diverse, from high-tech winners such as the 300-mpg Aptera vehicle of the future, to low-tech innovations like rugged wheelchairs for the developing world," said James B. Meigs, editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics. "With the energy crisis escalating and the increased focus on climate change and the need for conservation, it is especially rewarding to showcase winners who are making breakthrough contributions in these fields. These winners are applying brilliant design and engineering to improve the lives of others."
Although rooted in motion capture, Organic Motion has dynamically extended the technology's impact and reach by removing tracking devices of any kind. Organic Motion lets people simply wear their everyday clothing and instantly translate their full-body motion into computer data. This advancement allows for a number of individuals to quickly pass through a system and have each person's exact body movement data instantly streamed into software for analysis or display. The freedom and flexibility of Organic Motion's innovation, makes it possible to replace traditional and outdated ways of interacting with computers, with a new interface that responds to any person's movements. From the next generation of immersive video gaming, to intelligent homes or customized retail experiences, Organic Motion's technology is powering a new wave of interactive computer installations.
"We're honored to join such prestigious company of winners, and look to a future where we can change the way people interact with computers - not with a mouse and keyboard, but with our gestures and motions," says Andrew Tschesnok, CEO of Organic Motion. "We've finally unlocked a way for computers to see and use the natural motions of a person without depending on tracking extra devices. Imagine a natural interface where you can step into the internet and be your avatar rather than simply controlling it via your keyboard"
In selecting the candidates and winners of the 2008 Breakthrough Awards program, the editors of Popular Mechanics canvassed a large range of experts and academics to come up with a list of worthy nominees. Members of PM's Board of Advisers reviewed the nominations to help the editors of PM choose the winners.
A complete report of the Breakthrough Awards will be published in the November issue of Popular Mechanics on newsstands Oct. 14, 2008. High-resolution images of the winners as well as full conference coverage will be available upon request and at www.popularmechanics.com.
About Organic Motion, Inc.
Organic Motion, Inc. is a leading innovator of computer vision and advanced markerless motion capture systems. The company's core technology dramatically increases a computer's ability to "see" and understand the motion of humans and other living organisms to generate accurate 3D tracking data in real-time, without using bodysuits or markers. Organic Motion leverages its patent-pending technology in three turnkey solutions: OpenSTAGE, STAGE, and BioSTAGE. For additional information, please visit www.organicmotion.com.
Organic Motion, OpenSTAGE&trade, STAGE&trade, and BioSTAGE&trade are trademarks of Organic Motion, Inc. in the United States.
About Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics (www.popularmechanics.com) is a magazine that helps readers master the modern world. In addition to providing hands-on coverage of personal technology, cars and home improvement, PM reports in-depth on the science and technology behind major issues -- including such stories as disaster planning, hydrogen fuel and other energy alternatives, military expenditures and digital privacy. Each month, nearly 9 million readers turn for advice and news to the magazine's editors and contributors, who include Jay Leno, astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Tom Jones and roboticist Daniel H. Wilson. In addition to its U.S. flagship, Popular Mechanics publishes nine editions around the world. Popular Mechanics is published by Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) and one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines, with nearly 200 editions around the world, including 18 U.S. titles and 20 magazines in the United Kingdom, published through its wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited. Hearst reaches more adults than any other publisher of monthly magazines (75.6 million total adults, according to MRI, Spring 2008).
###
Contact Info:
Chris Michaels
Fusion PR for Organic Motion
(310) 481-1431 ext. 18
chris.michaels@fusionpr.com
Jonathan Rand
President, Organic Motion
(212) 776-6100 ext. 111
jonathan@organicmotion.com