QUMA, by SoftEther, Japan. 2011.

Basically, this is a device sold by a small company in Japan that allows for easy posing of humanoid figures in 3D applications.  In essence, it is a mannequin that plugs directly into your computer and sends data on the angles of every joint.  This project inspires me because I want to build one!  About the posability aspect, one the back is somewhat of a limitation (It appears to wearing some kind of “backpack”).  I’m not sure how well other humanoids with different proportions would work, but I guess that is something we’ll have to see.  Critically, though, this is just the beginning of something cooler.  Although this fits the bill exactly as they described on their product page, I think this needs some really cool interactive software to go with it.  A video game console isn’t anything without the video game.  Perhaps something like controlling giant virtual robots in real time, just like in Pacific Rim?

Input Puppets, by Interactive Geometry Lab at ETH Zurich. 2014.

This project is very similar to the other project I found above, save for one small difference:  with this experimental device, you can create whatever jointed posable figure you wish!  The pieces are modular, meaning that posable figures are not limited to humanoids.  We can pose elephants, dragons, snakes, and even octopi.  This thing has potential to be used in a variety of cool applications, and what we’re seeing in the video is just scratches the surface.  To improve this project, it needs some awesome software to go along with it. How about building a giant virtual robot and THEN controlling it?  Seriously though, the joints have no customizable limitations, save for the blockages at +/- 90 degrees.  This is a good thing and a bad thing.  While it allows more freedom, if used improperly, some pretty weird animations can result.