A Blog reader sent me an article describing this 'structure':
It was stated that "this incredible machine was built as a collaborative
effort between the Robert M.Trammell Music Conservatory and the Sharon Wick School of
Engineering at
the University of Iowa. Amazingly, 97% of the machine's components came from John Deere Industries and Irrigation Equipment of Bancroft, Iowa. Yes, farm equipment!"
Of course this got my attention - so here's a video showing
the machine
(using lots of balls!) in action: YouTube Link
It is indeed an amazing piece of work, but the article circulated on the web was a prank on the part of some University of Iowa students! They do a lot of farming in the state of Iowa.
The musical video is actually the work of a talented and innovative group specializing in computer generated animations. The animated video is then synchronized with digitally synthesized music - all produced at Animusic.
The piece presented in this video is part of a collection available on DVD and is called 'Pipe Dream'.
Having worked with some relatively simple 3D graphics software
['Engineering Design' July 26, 2009]
and animation, I really appreciated another video showing some features of the powerful graphics software being used at Animusic:
YouTube Link
So enjoy this wonderful video and, at the same time, use it as a reminder that not everything published on the Web should be accepted at face value.