How made-in-NTU technologies are changing our future
by Lester Kok / Illustrations and animations by Vivian Lim
Turning real life into cartoons
Now
Using an algorithm based on machine learning to analyse faces, NTU scientists have created an easy way to morph real faces into different styles of cartoon characters, in the vein of those created by Disney, Pixar or Studio Ghibli. The end result is a very polished video that preserves the emotions and expressions of the actors’ faces, and the chosen animation style can be further tweaked to suit your preferences.
Future
Making full-length animated films may be easier in future, since there’s no need to rely on complicated motion capture technology to capture real-life movements before animating a sequence. Filming real humans and post-processing the video to convert their faces – and in fact, the entire footage – into cartoons will also remove the need for tedious animation work. This technology has exciting applications in video training, online education, gaming and the entertainment industry.
Milking plants for more oil
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A new method of gene editing developed by NTU’s biological scientists enables oil crops like peanut, rapeseed and soybean to accumulate more oil in their seeds, increasing oil yields by up to 18%. This could help meet the growing global demand for vegetable oil without the need to access more land for farming.
Future
Deforestation causes loss of habitat for forest-dependent species and quickens climate change. To reduce deforestation and preserve our natural biodiversity, we need to find ways to use less land to grow more food. Plant oils are an essential part of the human diet and used extensively in food processing, so higher oil yields could prevent overfarming while ensuring everyone has enough to eat.
Growing salad out of human hair
Now
Keratin found in human hair and chicken feathers can be extracted to create a nutritious and biodegradable sponge that can help hydroponic farms grow vegetables faster. This new type of sponge could replace the ones currently used in urban farms, which are typically made from fossil fuels and are non-biodegradable.
Future
Having urban farms close to communities in the city reduces emissions and ensures a sustainable supply of healthy fruits and vegetables. With hair salons present everywhere, it could be a reality that human hair becomes a key source of keratin in sponges used to grow our favourite vegetables, from lettuce to bak choy.
This story was published in the Jan-Feb 2023 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
