TED takes on Animation

Hey all- I found this TED Talk online and found it pretty fascinating. It discusses how scientists/programmers at Oxford are developing a method of animation that instead of by hand, creates an artificial intelligence for your character that enables them to react to simulated situations like a real-life person. The actual logistics of it kind've went over my head, something about algorithms that use evolution applied to a created neurosystem that is then attached to the created muscles etc. But what really struck me were both the implications of this new technology and how eerily realistic it was. The presenter of the talk, Torstein Reil, shows how they created characters that will walk in a straight line, stumble over an obstacle (and depending on where that obstacle is, will fall in different ways) and even turn around to look where they're falling and attempt to break their fall... the implications of this are colossal.. including animated stuntmen, more interactive/realistic virtual world, including video games, and what's even more crazy and astonishing is that these creators at Oxford were contacted to work with doctors in creating simulations that would match the gait of kids with cerebral palsy and then use that character to predict the results of operations in an attempt to see how it would affect them. I realize that since this TED conference was presented in 2003, this technology may be in everyday use already, however I think it's incredibly relevant to what we're learning in class and also, all of the situations you can use animation for.