Nadia Magnenat Thalmann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nadia Magnenat Thalmann
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Thalmann in 2009
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| Nationality | Swiss, Canadian |
| Alma mater | University of Geneva École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) |
| Awards | Humboldt Research Award The Canadian Human Computer Communications Society Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer Graphics Virtual Humans Social Humanoid Robotics |
| Institutions | Université Laval HEC, University of Montréal University of Geneva Nanyang Technological University (NTU) |
Nadia Magnenat Thalmann is a brilliant scientist who works with computer graphics and robotics. She is the founder and leader of MIRALab at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. From 2009 to 2021, she also led the Institute for Media Innovation at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
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About Nadia Magnenat Thalmann
Nadia Magnenat Thalmann studied many interesting subjects. She earned degrees in psychology, biology, and biochemistry from the University of Geneva. In 1977, she received her PhD in Quantum Physics from the same university.
She began her teaching career in Canada at the University Laval. Later, she became a professor at HEC, University of Montreal, until 1988. In 1989, she moved back to the University of Geneva. There, she started her own research lab called MIRALab.
Thalmann has written or co-written over 600 research papers. These papers cover topics like virtual humans, social robots, virtual reality (VR), and 3D simulations of human body parts. She has also been part of more than 45 research projects in Europe. She helped create important events for the computer graphics community. These include the Computer Animation and Social Agents (CASA) conference in Geneva, which started in 1988. She also managed Computer Graphics International (CGI). She is the main editor for two science journals: The Visual Computer and Computer Animation Journal.
Amazing Research in Computer Graphics
Nadia Magnenat Thalmann has made many important discoveries in computer graphics. She is especially known for her work on creating very realistic virtual humans. Early in her career, during her PhD, she even simulated 3D electronic densities. This helped visualize solutions to complex physics equations.
Creating Realistic Virtual Humans
One of her most famous achievements was pioneering realistic virtual humans. She created the first 3D simulation of Marilyn Monroe. This was for a film called Rendez-vous in Montreal in 1987.
This film was shown for the first time in Montreal. It celebrated 100 years of engineering in Canada. In 1988, she also showed her film at the Modern Art Museum in New York.
Innovations in Medical Simulation and Robotics
Thalmann also contributed to medical imaging. She developed ways to analyze MRI scans related to health issues. For example, she modeled virtual ballerinas. This allowed researchers to see how their hip cartilage changed while dancing. She also showed see-through knee joints of real soccer players.
Since 2008, her lab, MIRALab, has been working with a humanoid robot named EVA. They created a realistic robot that can show emotions and remember things. She also worked on Nadine, a social robot designed to look like her. Nadine can talk, recognize people and their movements, show feelings, and remember past actions. Nadine was featured at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore. The exhibition, called HUMAN+: The Future of our Species, attracted over 100,000 visitors.
Awards and Recognitions
Nadia Magnenat Thalmann has received many honors for her groundbreaking work.
Special Degrees
- In 2009, she received an honorary doctorate in Natural Sciences from Leibniz University Hannover.
- In 2010, the University of Ottawa gave her an honorary doctorate.
Prestigious Awards
- In July 1987, she was named "Woman of the Year" by École des hautes études commerciales de Montréal. This was for her early work in computer graphics in Montreal.
- In 2007, her film "High Fashion in Equations" won the CGI 2007 Best International Scientific Video award. It was also shown at the SIGGRAPH Electronic Theatre.
- In 2012, she received the Career Achievement Award from the Canadian Human Computer Communications Society.
- Also in 2012, she was awarded the famous Humboldt Research Award in Germany.
- Thalmann was recognized as a Pioneer in Information Technology. Her name is on the Electronic Wall of Fame at the Heinz Nixdorf Computer Museum in Germany.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Vol de Rêve (Dream Flight) | A 3D computer-generated film, 13 minutes long. |
| 1985 | Nirvana | A 3D computer-generated film, 4 minutes long. |
| 1987 | Eglantine | A 3D computer-generated film, 3 minutes long. |
| 1987 | Rendez-vous à Montreal | A 3D computer-generated film, 6 minutes long. |
| 1987 | Rendez Vous à Montreal - Making of | A documentary about how the 3D film Rendez Vous à Montreal was made. |
| 1988 | Galaxy Sweetheart | A 3D computer-generated film, 6 minutes long. |
| 1988 | Les îles ont une âme | A 3D computer-generated film, 2 minutes long. |
| 1990 | Iad | A 3D computer-generated film using ray tracing. |
| 1990 | Flashback | A 3D computer-generated film with cloth animation. |
| 1991 | Still Walking | A 3D computer-generated film showing a walking model. |
| 1992 | Fashion Show | A 3D computer-generated film with cloth animation. |
| 1993 | Marilyn singing | An opening sequence for a 3D Computer Animation film festival. |
| 1994 | Broken dreams | A 3D computer-generated film inspired by a painting. |
| 1995 | Teleshopping | A real-time performance between Singapore and Geneva showing virtual shopping. |
| 1995 | Mariln by Geneva lake | The first film to mix virtual people with real people in a real setting. |
| 1996 | Virtual Marilyn receives the Golden Camera Award | A 2-minute video shown in Berlin, Germany. |
| 1997 | Xian Terracotta Army | A 3D simulation of the famous Xian Terracotta soldiers. |
| 1997 | Anyone for Tennis | An interactive real-time demonstration between Lausanne and Geneva. |
| 1997 | Marilyn at the United Nations | A mixed reality film, 41 seconds long. |
| 1997 | Cyberdance | A mixed reality show presented in Bern, Switzerland. |
| 1998 | Kathy | A 3D Fashion Show, 1 minute long. |
| 1998 | Fashion Dreams | A 3-minute, 33-second mixed-reality live show. |
| 1998 | Orbit | An interactive project showing the 3D recreation of Marilyn Monroe. |
| 1999 | Cyborg Frictions | A presentation of "Virtual Self" as a mixed-reality live show. |
| 1999 | Charleston Party | A 3-minute, 22-second mixed-reality performance. |
| 2000 | Dancing over the Internet | A real-time performance between Nice, France, and Geneva, Switzerland. |
| 2000 | S.S. Segius and Bacchus Reconstruction 1 | A simulation of the Segius and Bacchus mosque in Istanbul. |
| 2001 | The Utopians | A 2-minute, 40-second virtual reality live show. |
| 2001 | CAHRISMA | A 3D model of the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. |
| 2001 | Expressive Speech Animation | Shows facial animation for emotional speech (sad, happy, surprised). |
| 2001 | Interactive Hairstyler | A 3D recreation of hair movements using fluid flow. |
| 2001 | UNILEVER - Walking Models | Studies of movements, materials, and textures on a dress. |
| 2002 | Virtual Life in Pompeii | A 2-minute, 37-second presentation about life in ancient Pompeii. |
| 2002 | Best Of MIRALab from 1982 to 2002 | A video showcasing the best productions from MIRALab. |
| 2003 | HES Sierre Show | A presentation of MIRALab's projects. |
| 2003 | Making of “Dream of a Model | A 7-minute video about 3D fashion simulation in mixed reality. |
| 2003 | The Ballet Dancer | A virtual rehearsal of a dancer. |
| 2004 | Making Of Life Plus | Shows how ancient frescos were brought to life with virtual animals and plants. |
| 2004 | Virtual Fashion Show | A 9-minute, 26-second live virtual fashion show. |
| 2004 | PDA Pocket PC | A demonstration of facial animation for pocket computers. |
| 2004 | ERATO | The creation of a virtual restoration of the Aspendos theatre. |
| 2004 | Modee Virtual Collection | An animation video recreating a fashion runway. |
| 2005 | High Fashion in Equations | A 4-minute, 22-second exhibition shown at SIGGRAPH electronic theatre 2007. |
| 2005 | Reconstruction of bones and muscles | Shows 3D reconstruction of bones and muscles for medical research. |
| 2006 | Xian Real Time | A virtual animation about life and human interaction in ancient Xian. |
| 2006 | Hair Dance | Recreates a dancer's movements with hair simulation and cloth design. |
| 2007 | Virtual Hagia Sophia Reconstruction | A 3D simulation of the interior of Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. |
| 2007 | HAPTEX cloth simulation | A video showing a virtual reality system for interacting with virtual fabrics. |
| 2008 | Motion Analysis of the Hip | Models the human hip joint in extreme positions. |
| 2008 | Facial Motion Capture | Shows how facial movements are captured and turned into animation. |
| 2008 | Ruban 2 | A simulation of fabric with a waterfall effect. |
| 2009 | A Day in the Life of John Calvin | A 3D simulation of John Calvin for an exhibition. |
| 2009 | Virtual Hip Joint | Won the Eurographics Medical 1st Prize in 2009. |
| 2009 | La danse dans tous ses états | A live show where a ballet dancer performs with her 3D avatar. |
| 2010 | Biomechanical Analysis of the Hip Joint | Investigates the connection between extreme movements and the hip. |
| 2010 | Interactive Media with Personal Networked Devices | Demonstrates wearable interfaces for analyzing personal health data. |
| 2011 | Virtual and Live Fashion Show | A fashion show at New Media Village @ IMI, Singapore. |
| 2011 | Social Robotics | Presents the Eva Robot, a humanoid robot head developed at MIRALab. |
| 2012 | The Illusion of Intelligence | Won the AAAI Video Competition 2012, Best Student Video Award. |
| 2012 | SIGGRAPH ASIA 2012 Fashion Show | A fashion show at the 5th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference in Singapore. |
| 2012 | IMI Mixed Reality Fashion Show | A fashion show for the Swissnex Singapore End of 2012 Party. |
| 2013 | Real-time Interaction with Nadine Humanoid Robot | A demonstration of interacting with the Nadine Humanoid Robot. |
| 2013 | Refurbish a single user 3D application into a multi-user distributed service | Shows how a 3D application can be used by many people at once. |
| 2014 | A Facebook-aware Virtual Human Interface | Demonstrates a virtual human that can interact with Facebook. |
| 2014 | Sound Localization and Classification | Shows how a virtual human can locate and identify sounds. |
| 2014 | Affective Memory and Dialogue | Demonstrates emotional memory and conversation with the Nadine Social Robot. |
| 2015 | 3D Multiscale Subject Specific Soccer Player | Part of the MultiScale Human project, showing a detailed soccer player model. |
| 2015 | Multiscale Biological Modalities for physiological human articulation | Part of the MultiScale Human project, showing biological details for human joints. |
| 2016 | Attention Control of Realistic Humanoid Robot | A demonstration with the Nadine Social Robot showing how it controls attention. |
| 2016 | Nadine and Nadia | Nadia Magnenat Thalmann interacting with the Nadine Social Robot. |
| 2016 | Nadine Introduction | The Nadine Social Robot demonstrates her abilities. |
| 2016 | Human Robot Interaction by Upper Body Gesture Understanding | Shows the Nadine Social Robot recognizing human gestures. |
| 2016 | Nadine Interaction | A demonstration of interaction with the Nadine Social Robot. |
| 2016 | 2016 ACI Asia Business Summit - Live Call with Nadine | A live interaction with the Nadine Social Robot on stage. |
| 2016 | Reusable low-cost platform for digitizing and preserving traditional participative sports | A video showing a platform to record and save traditional sports. |
| 2017 | The robot EVA playing in the Roten Fabrik theatre at Zurich | The robot Eva performing in a play. |
| 2017 | Nadine Social Robot | A short video about the Nadine Social Robot. |
| 2017 | The Making Of Nadine Hand | A video showing how Nadine's hand was made. |
| 2017 | ArtScience Museum Human+ | The Nadine Social Robot at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore. |
| 2017 | Nadine Social Robot conversation with a student, Felix | A demonstration of Nadine Social Robot having a conversation. |
| 2018 | Nadine Social Robot at AIA Insurance Company | The Nadine Social Robot starting work as a receptionist. |
| 2018 | AIA Opening Ceremony | The opening ceremony at AIA Finlayson Green. |
