So today I was tasked with being Ferdinand Magellan for the morning. I like to think I did a swell job because we arrived fifteen minutes early. Magnus Sjolin greeted us at the door with smile and we hit the ground running. We started off with a very informative presentation of the products and services offered by Qualisys AB. This is a motion capturing (mo-cap for short) system company that provides the highest quality systems in the engineering, biomechanics, animation market segments to name a few.
Once the presentation was finished, we shifted gears into the live demos of the Qualisys products. The specific cameras were not indicated, but Robbie was the first subject used for data mapping. Robbie had markers placed on given parts of his body to paint a precise picture of his running form. We received another informative presentation after Robbie was done running on what exactly was happening. It turns out that Robbie has not too bad of stride, so definitely a round of applause for him. On top of all of that though we received a quick animation demo with Sam, Nicole, and Matt. This was particular demo mirrored the trio’s movement for the class on the big screen. The whole process is similar to video game companies capturing human movement to better reflect motion in a video game.
It was sad that we couldn’t stay longer but we did have a prior commitment to meeting with SKF. Here’s just a quick snap of the picturesque walk we had to SKF, and let me tell you, everything is stunning in this city and country. It was down to the wire, but we made it safe and sound with Peyton as the guide.
Lars Werner was our guide at SKF, the ball bearing’s company provider for the world. The pictures were minimal, but I highly recommend taking a trip overseas to the SKF headquarters for the tour. Ours was said to more detailed, but the general public tour was so cool. Imagine this, a diorama that was created to mirror Gothenburg and everything moves within it. The planes, the buses, the robots within buildings, and even boats move! It’s amazing to see how SKF’s ball bearings play a pivotal role in society.
After a long day of navigating through the streets of Gothenburg and learning the in’s and out’s two respective Swedish companies, I’d say it was a successful day. I got two very different perspectives on international business from two very different companies. Tomorrow we are headed to Volvo, so I’ll build a little suspense for that, until tomorrow!
Today’s Takeaway’s:
- Street signs are apparently ON buildings?
- You cannot watch the bachelor while you’re abroad
- The SKF headquarters has a moving diorama of Gothenburg
- I’m known as the lyrical miracle apparently
- You’re STILL never lost in Sweden if you’re an American
Matt's Sweden Blog 