Otronicon at the Orlando Science Center

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Otronicon just opened at the Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803). The Orlando Science Center’s favorite interactive tech expo is back and better than ever. You can see Synthestruct’s audiovisual performance Viscerality, participate in workshops and hear from industry professionals. Plus, gaming competitions and a hair-raising Tesla Coil show!

I decided to sketch on my tablet since it is a bit high tech. I figure that was my way to blend in to the tech event. I walked the multiple floors of the exhibits and finally decided to sketch this slinky roller coaster exhibit. The nose of the pup was a photo opportunity with a small red platform that said, step up to be tall, sit down to be small. Parents loved to take photos of their kid on that red platform.

The body of the slinky dog was set up like roller coaster cars. People could get in and then they were handed headsets. They were shown an interactive video that showed the slinky as it roared down the roller coaster tracks. The video people were seeing was also broadcast on a TV up near the pups head, so I could keep track of what the people were experiencing as I sketched. A line formed and people came and went quite often.

To my left was an exhibit for Polytechnic University. Their slogan is, “Imagine what you can accomplish.” Lori M. Huertas spoke to me about possibly stopping by the campus to show students how I use my iPad as a sketchbook. One woman was fascinated by my sketching and she asked me about the program I was using. Her son loves to draw and he already has an iPad. She said that finding me was the one thing that truly inspired her about the event and she plans to get the drawing program for her son. I just hope she realizes that the program wasn’t doing the drawing, I was.

Much of Otronicon is about kids who love to play video games. As soon as I entered I could see crowds of kids competing in their virtual worlds. They shouted their annoyance when they died. I am hoping to meet and help inspire kids to transition from being video game consumers to becoming creators.

Otronicon is at the Science Center through Monday, January 21, 2019. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. General admission to Otronicon is free
for Orlando Science Center members, $20.95 for adults, $18.95 for
seniors and students, and $14.95 for youth (ages 3 – 11). Purchase
tickets
here.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 13th and 14th.

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Saturday December 13, 2018

6 AM to 1 PM.  Free.  Parramore Farmers Market.  The east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View.  Beginning on January 6, the Parramore Farmers Market will be open
every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the east side of the Orlando
City Stadium, across from City View.Purchase quality, fresh and healthy
food grown in your own neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet
Farming, Growing Orlando, and other community growers.

10 AM to 5 PM.  Daily through January 16th.   Admission to Otronicon is free for OSC members, $20.95 for adults, $18.95 for seniors and students, and $14.95 for youth (ages 3-11). Otronicon: Interactive Tech Expo.  Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803).  Otronicon will celebrate its 13th year as Orlando’s premier technology event you can’t afford to miss!

At Otronicon, guests walk on the cutting edge through state-of-the-art gaming and simulation technologies, including military and medical simulators not typically available to the public.

NEW THIS YEAR:

• See and feel what it’s like to pilot a plane in OSC’s new and permanent Flight Lab experience on its opening weekend!
• Learn all about drones by meeting drone experts and seeing live demos
• Go on a virtual test drive with Motion Sphere, where you’ll experience 7 G forces with six “Degrees of Freedom” – back/forward, right/left, up/down and roll/yaw/pitch

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND:

• Interact with industry leaders and educators and learn about STEM careers
• Experience the future of games and design
• See the latest in medical and military technologies, plus video gaming, art and more
• Check out workshops and presentations led by industry pros
• And so much more!

Regardless of your background, whether you work in the tech industry or just have a passion for learning, Otronicon will engage your mind and spark your curiosity.

Visit Otronicon.org to see what’s new and check out our list of exhibitors!

Noon to 4 PM.  Free.  Winter Music Series.  Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards 19239 US 27 North, Clermont, Florida 34715.  Each Saturday afternoon during the month of January, Lakeridge Winery
holds its famous Music Series, featuring live music on the outdoor
stage, and inside at our Wine & Cheese Bar upstairs in the winery.
The musicians selected are all fantastic performers, hand-picked from
the wealth of talent located throughout Central Florida. Lakeridge wine,
beer, soft drinks and a variety of food is available for purchase,
along with complimentary Winery tours and tasting.

BAND SCHEDULE:

OUTDOOR STAGE

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm The Nightly Grove Band

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Shawline

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Mike Quick Band

WINE & CHEESE BAR

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Koelble

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Blackmon

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Jeff Whitfield

Sunday December 14, 2018

 Noon to 1 PM.  Donation based.  Yoga.  Lake Eola at the field near the red gazebo. 

1 PM to 5:30 PM Free.  Family Day on the Second Sunday.  The Mennello Museum of American Art (900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803).  The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents
are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in
the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

2 PM to 5 PM $5. Film Slam.   Enzian Theater (1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL 32751).  Originally a project of University of Central Florida’s Downtown Media
Arts Center, Enzian became the home of FilmSlam when DMAC closed in
2006. Now in its fifth year at Enzian, FilmSlam continues to be a
popular outlet for indie and student filmmakers throughout the State of
Florida.

FilmSlam will usually be held on the second Sunday of each month at 1PM at Enzian.

COME CELEBRATE INDEPENDENTS DAY!!!

It’s so hot outside our brains just melted! So, this month we’ve booked the craziest FilmSlam line up of the year.

Experimental
Films, Puppet Films, Art Films, Bartenders throwing bottles, Gangsters,
a Music Video….this has to be the most amazingly eclectic line we’ve
had for all of 2012.

Program starts at 1pm sharp. Q&A with the filmmakers to follow screening.

Buddy Dyer and Scott Maxwell ride into the Danger Zone.

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Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer previewed the new immersive Flight Lab, while Challenging Orlando Sentinel’s Scott Maxwell in a Virtual Contest to be Top Gun at the Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803). The Mayor and Sentinel Columnist continued their decades-long video game rivalry. Since 2006, they have competed for dominance at
the annual Otronicon. From Halo shootouts to Dance Dance Revolution,
these two combatants have given their all in a bid for techno supremacy.
The competition came days before the 13th annual Otronicon Tech Expo.

The high tech Flight Lab is located on the top floor of the Science Center in the Dino Digs area. I arrived a bit early to sketch the room, waiting for the contestants to arrive. One of the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality technology experts in the room noticed my John Henry crew jacket and he asked if I had worked at Disney. He had worked for 10 years at Universal so we shared a few war stories. He lamented that CAD technology has produced a generation of tech architects and artists who are content use homogeneous stock imagery. The life in hand crafted sketching is quickly becoming a lost art. Now that I am looking for work, it seems like Tech is all that exists in this Digital World.

The contestants were given a chance to try out the technology before their flight. They both put on Virtual Reality headsets which allowed them to look around their cockpits. “Maverick” (Dyer) glanced out his cockpit window to see “Ice Man” (Maxwell). They both took off the flight deck of the carrier and took to the sky. Each jet required a pilot and co-pilot so the tech experts helped in the co-pilot seats. With the test flights out of the way the pilots prepared for their head to head flights. Maverick got off the flight deck first with Ice Man flying in formation behind. This was not a dog fight but a simple test of speed and agility. Buddy Dyer took the title of “Top Gun.”

Flight Lab will be premiering at this year’s Otronicon. This new permanent exhibit uses real-world mission scenarios to teach standards-based concepts and to develop critical communication, decision-making, team building, and collaborative skills. Flight Lab is an immersive experience with 13 flight simulator stations to accommodate both a pilot and co-pilot. Oculus Rift head-mounted display units take participants right into the danger zone as they learn how to fly, navigate, communicate, and work as a team. Funding for the exhibit is provided by the Office of Naval Research.

Otronicon connects visitors with the creative professionals and technology that are turning Central Florida into a hub for innovation. It is a celebration of our community’s technology leaders, including the latest from Lockheed Martin, Walt Disney World Resort, Florida Hospital for Children, University of Central Florida as well as a cross section of our region’s top indie game developers and so much more. The 13th Annual

Otronicon is January 12-15, 2018. The hours are 10 AM to 5 PM each day. Tickets are available online.

Adult ($20.95)
Senior ($18.95)
Student ($18.95)
Youth ($14.95)
Two and Under ($0.00)

The da Vinci Robot at Otronicon.

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The Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803) hosts Otronicon each year. Otronicon is a celebration of interactive technology that takes place
each January at the Orlando Science Center. It offers a glimpse into the
future and a demonstration of how interactive technology will impact how
we work, learn and play. At Otronicon, guests walk on the cutting edge
through state of the art video games, digital media, digital art, and
workshops – not to mention military and medical simulators typically not
available to the public.

The da Vinci Surgical System is a robotic surgical system made by the American company Intuitive Surgical. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000, it is designed to facilitate complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach, and is controlled by a surgeon from a console. The system is commonly used for prostatectomies, and increasingly for cardiac valve repair and gynecologic surgical procedures like hysterectomies. According to the manufacturer, the da Vinci System is called “da Vinci” in part because Leonardo da Vinci’s “study of human anatomy eventually led to the design of the first known robot in history.”

 If you have a passion for technology, simulators, and video games in general, mark your calendars for the most interactive technology expo in Central Florida – Otronicon. This event takes the world of video games and simulation, and transforms them into in-depth immersive experiences.

There will also be classes in video game creation, as well as exclusive peeks at simulators created by experts in the field. This is the one weekend when the Orlando Science Center leaves its doors open for extended evening hours, so be sure to plan on experiencing all of the interactive fun at Otronicon.

Otronicon will run from January 13th to 16th, 2017. 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (All Ages)
Tickets are available online.

Otronicon opens with a VIP reception at the Orlando Science Center.

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The 10th Annual Otronicon opened at the Orlando Science Center (777 East Princeton Street Orlando FL) with a VIP reception on January 15th. Mayor Buddy Dyer Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell faced off in a video game throw down, playing “Super Smash Bros.,” “Dance Central 3”
and “Madden 15” for bragging rights as they engaged in a rematch
from Otronicon v.1 in 2006. Unfortunately I was teaching a life drawing class so I missed the video game action. By the time I got to the Science Center all the dignitaries had all ready left.

 Now in its 10th year, Otronicon is the premiere technology event in Orlando. Discover how we will live, learn, work and
play in the years to come through video games, simulation and other
technology — most of which is made here in Orlando. The four-day event
features:

  • Larger-than-life video game experiences
  • State-of-the-art medical and military simulators
  • Workshops taught by industry pros
  • And so much more!

Since Otronicon is all about technology, I decided to use my digital tablet to sketch. From the walkway above, I was intrigued by the bright green tables that created a unique pattern in the perspective of the massive space. People gathered in lively groups and the room buzzed with conversations. There were a few arcade styled video games right behind me and I could hear the mayhem as I sketched. When the sketch was done, I went down to quickly look at all the displays.

EA Sports was strongly represented with football, basketball and soccer games. Bean bag chairs that looked like basketballs and soccer balls were you had to sit in order to play the games. A storm trooper wandered around the room to keep order and Darth Vader was there to handle anyone who became drunk and disorderly. My friends, Wendy Wallenberg, Michael McLeod and Denise Sudler were there so I stayed to get a chance to talk and laugh for a while. I had invited Terry, but she had to work late. I’ll probably return to Otronicon which runs through January 19th to do some more sketches. It is an Urban Sketcher’s paradise.

Otronicon VIP Party

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On Thursday January 16th I went to sketch the Otronicon VIP Party at the Orlando Science Center, 777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL. The VIP Party gave Mayor Buddy Dyer and other politicians a platform to proclaim Orlando the center of the high tech digital universe.

Most intriguing was Sarah Anderson who in 2003 lost the use of her legs in a car accident. She was sporting an EKSO Bionics suit that used a computer and digitally balanced braces that helped her stand and walk. I had sketched Sarah Anderson one other time at a fundraiser. Oddly, her story that evening was that she lost the use of her legs in a skiing accident.  Perhaps the executives or PR department felt that an auto accident is something more people could identify with and therefor would sell more bionic suits.

The military was out in force demonstrating flight and battle simulators. The mayor delighted in telling a story about how he blew a six inch hole into a friends chest. Students demonstrated a robot they had built for a robotics competition. One student had a Frisbee, so I suspect that in competition the robot would have to throw the Frisbee. This big orange boxy robot however wasn’t yet up to the challenge. Jen Vargas and Josh Murdock, both sporting Google glass headsets stopped to say hi. They are both going to be on a panel discussion about technology. Jen will be screening a film that won the Orlando 48 hour film festival. Teams of filmmakers were given only 48 hours to write, direct, shoot and edit their films. Seth Kubersky was at the event reporting for the Orlando Weekly.

Otronicon, running every day through January 20th, is a celebration of interactive technology’s role in how we
live, learn, work and play. The event features larger-than-life video
game experiences, state-of-the-art medical and military simulators,
workshops taught by industry pros, and so much more! The event has the
opportunity to inspire a child’s interest in science and tech careers
through the appeal of video games, interactive technology and virtual
reality.

Admission
to Otronicon is $19 for adults and $13 for youth (ages 3-11). Tickets
also include access to the new traveling exhibit “Zoom Into Nano,” giant
screen and 3-D educational films, one Hollywood feature-length film,
and live programming. Science Center members can experience Otronicon
for free. It is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, January 19 and Monday, January 20.

For more information, please call 407-514-2000 or visit www.otronicon.org.

Otronicon

Posted on by Thor

Otronicon is a four-day event held at the Orlando Science Center (777 East Princeton Street, Orlando). It is a celebration of interactive technology using video games to demonstrate the future of how we live, learn, work and play. Whether you’re a video game fan or just wondered what it is your kids
are doing in front of that computer, there’s something for everyone at Otronicon, Orlando’s biggest interactive technology expo!

I went to Otronicon on the evening of January 18th. Two little girls ran around excitedly as their father waited in line in front of me. The father shouted at them to stand still. It turned out I was standing in the wrong line. I saw a media and volunteer table and I walked over. I walked through the first two floors rather quickly as I hunted for my sketch. EA sports had a room full of their sports games that could be played with feedback on large flat screen TVs. I saw hints of Star Wars costumes and technology including a Millennium Falcon experience. I presume this was one of those rides where the entire room rocks and lurches. I get sick to my stomach on those so I didn’t go in. I was there in the evening and it wasn’t very crowded.

When I entered the dinosaur paddock I immediately felt the urge to sketch. US Marines in camouflage fatigues were teaching kids how to use the Deployment Virtual Training environment. They all seemed so small beneath the huge beast. One swipe of that tail would have cleared away all that technology. Next to me students from the 4H Exploring Bacon Robotics Club were demonstrating a robot that could shoot a basketball. They built the robot to compete in the International FIRST Robotics Competition. They are now working on a robot that can throw a Frisbee and climb a pyramid. On March 7-9th the Orlando Regional Robotics Competition will be held at UCF. It sounds like fun.

After the sketch was done, I decided to sit down and experience the Marines Virtual Environment. I asked the marine next to me how to get started. Moving the mouse left and right changed my field of vision as if turning my head. The W key moved me forward. If I pressed it twice I could run. The marines hands were so big, I never saw the other keyboard commands. I walked into the environment not knowing how to fire my gun. It looked like I was in Iraq. I saw an explosion in the distance and I saw several other marines on their belly’s ready to fire. Thirty seconds into the experience, I heard a gunshot and my screen went black. I was dead. I got up from the console and went home.

Admission to Otronicon is $27 for adults and $20 for youth (ages
3-11). Tickets also include one screening of “TRON: Legacy 3D” as well as access
to Star Wars®: Where Science Meets
Imagination. Science Center members can experience Otronicon for free and see Star Wars: Where Science Meets
Imagination for $12 for adults and $9 for youth (ages 3-11). The Expo is open through January 21st.

Otronicon

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My Full Sail job had me working at Otronicon, helping Sam Ewing as he taught a classroom full of students the basics of Animation. The students, both young and old, paid very close attention to what Sam had to offer, and got to work developing a 24 page flip book.

The Orlando Science Center was packed. I have never seen the place so crowded. After the class was over, I wandered around watching all the kids and adults playing video games. I stopped at this area where everyone was playing the same game. They were all involved in a game called VBS2 which is a military training simulator. The military bought a commercial video game called Armor 2 and converted it into the high tech simulator seen here. All the players were working together as teams in the game. One boy shouted out, “Ha, I killed you. That was me, I killed you.” Most of the time however they stared at the screens intently focusing on the flaming oil fields and enemy tanks. Some players were situated inside virtual tanks, while others were field infantry. The creepy guy with the gas mask wandered over to mess with the kids by reaching in while they weren’t looking and pressing arbitrary keys on the keyboard.

In another area, military men wearing field fatigues were showing kids how to fire of an authentic looking M16 which would blast out a laser beam at the target. Joking around with Evan Miga later that day, he said that the military is selling military service to kids with ads that make it look like every day is a game, where they get to enjoy using high tech graphics in the field. Evan joked that if kids join today they would get an extra life. Otronicon is now over so you will have to wait till next year if you are in the mood to kill.