Aerotrim and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux: Difference between pages
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[[Image:Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's marble sculpture 'Ugolino and his Sons', Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's marble sculpture 'Ugolino and his Sons', Metropolitan Museum of Art]] |
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[[Image:Jean-Baptiste_Carpeaux_La_Danse.jpg|thumb|right|400px|La Danse (The Dance), Opera Garnier in Paris]] |
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'''Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux''' ([[May 11]], [[1827]], [[Valenciennes]] –[[October 12]], [[1875]], [[Courbevoie]]) was a French sculptor and painter. His early studies were under [[François Rude]]. Carpeaux won the [[Prix de Rome]] in [[1854]], and moving to [[Rome]] to find inspiration, he there studied the works of [[Michelangelo Buonarroti|Michelangelo]], [[Donatello]] and [[Andrea del Verrocchio|Verrocchio]]. Staying in Rome from [[1854]] to [[1861]], he obtained a taste for movement and spontaneity, which he joined with the great principles of [[baroque art]]. In [[1861]] he made a bust of [[Mathilde Bonaparte|Princess Mathilde]], and this later brought him several commissions from [[Napoleon III]]. He worked at the pavilion of [[Flora (goddess)|Flora]], and the [[Opéra Garnier]]. His group La Danse (the Dance, [[1869]]), situated on the right side of the façade, was criticised as an offence to common decency. |
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An '''aerotrim''' is a [[gyroscope]] large enough to contain a [[human being]], used for [[cardiovascular]] workout and [[equilibrioception]] (balance) training in [[pilots]] and [[astronauts]]. Aerotrims enjoyed world-wide popularity in [[gym]]s during the [[1980s]], but are now out of production outside of professional applications. A handful of machines are still in circulation, largely used for entertainment at fairs and events and as [[sci-fi]] showpieces in movies and television. Several companies around the world have picked up the idea and produced their own version with slight changes. |
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He never managed to finish his last work, the famous Fountain of the Four Parts of the Earth, on the Place Camille Jullian. He did finish the terrestrial globe, supported by the four figures of [[Asia]], [[Europe]], [[North America|America]] and [[Africa]], and it was [[Emmanuel Frémiet]] who completed the work by adding the eight leaping horses, the tortoises and the dolphins of the basin. |
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== History == |
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There were 3 Patents filed for similar devices, one in 1907 and one in 1920, they were rectangular, not round. The first round human Gyroscope patent application was July 1964, Patent # 3141669 |
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== Sculptures by Carpeaux == |
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Originally conceived in the early eighties by Heinz Suchy, an Austrian inventor, as training machine for his own ailing spine, friends suggested its potential for gyms and hospitals. The first prototype was built by him in his garage and attached to the garage walls, but lacked general safety precautions and decent foot attachment mechanism, meaning that the machine was only accessible to people of a certain height. |
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* Ugolin et ses fils - [[Ugolino della Gherardesca|Ugolino]] and his Sons (1861, in the permanent collection of the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]])[[http://www.insecula.com/oeuvre/photo_ME0000009025.html]] with versions in other museums including the [[Musée d'Orsay]] |
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Based on a profit sharing agreement, Mr. Suchy, who unsuccessfully had applied for a patent in Austria, passed on the rights to the German entrepreneur Hermann Dittrich, who through his import-export company Contactos Trading, Gesellschaft fuer internationalen Handel mbH at great cost applied internationally for patent. Mr. Dittrich also chose the name Aerotrim over Suchy’s original ''3D-Fun''. In need to make it safer, he came up with handles, the overhead hand protectors made of Plexiglas and the height-adjustable foot mechanism that allowed even children (of a minimum height) to use the machine. As a result, it even passed the German TUV safety inspections. Contactos looked worldwide for manufacturers. The Aerotrim started to be made in [[Germany]], [[Korea]], [[Taiwan]] and the [[USA]], were negotiations started to form a company named “Gyrotec” with the renowned Canadian “Hart Ski” and other investors. Contactos launched its own coordinated ad campaign single-handed, first in Germany and globally over the next few years. |
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* The Dance (commissioned for the [[Palais Garnier|Opera Garnier]]) |
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* Jeune pêcheur à la coquille - [[Naples|Neapolitan]] Fisherboy - in the [[Louvre]], [[Paris]] [[http://www.insecula.com/oeuvre/photo_ME0000034255.html]] |
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* Girl with Shell |
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* [[Antoine Watteau]] monument, [[Valenciennes]] |
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== |
==Neapolitan Fisherboy== |
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Carpeaux submitted a plaster version of ''Pêcheur napolitain à la coquille'', the Neapolitan Fisherboy, to the [[French Academy]] while a student in [[Rome]]. He carved the marble version several years later, showing it in the Salon exhibition of 1863. It was purchased for [[Napoleon III]]'s empress, [[Eugénie de Montijo|Eugènie]]. The statue of the young smiling boy was very popular, and Carpeaux created a number of reproductions and variations in marble and bronze. There is a copy, for instance, in the Samuel H. Kress Collection in the [[National Gallery of Art]] in [[Washington D.C.]] |
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Contrary to the initial appearance, the Aerotrim is not a close-your-eyes-and-hold-on machine and does not cause dizziness or nausea if it is controlled by the rider himself. Like a dumbbell or bicycle, human strength is required to direct the motions by balancing the body weight. During a forward or backward spin to be in command of the machine becomes limited, but it is still possible to flip out of a spinning loop and translate the momentum from forward motion to a sideways, backwards, horizontal or vertical spin. It is the only stationary exercise machine known to have the ability to move into any direction by counterbalance alone. |
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Some years later, he carved the Girl with a Shell, a very similar study. |
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It is this control, or ‘wheeling’, that requires every muscle in the body to be used evenly, even those not usually targeted by weight training or general cardiovascular exercise[http://www.gyrogym.com/healthbenefits.html]. A half-hour session in the Aerotrim equals a two-hour cardio session in an entire gym, including pool. The spinning motion gives a feel of weightlessness and it is this feeling that can cause a healthy addiction. |
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Carpeaux sought real life subjects in the streets and broke with the classical tradition. The Neapolitan Fisherboy's body is carved in intimate detail and shows an intricately balanced pose. Carpeaux claimed that he based the Neapolitan Fisherboy on a boy he had seen during a trip to [[Naples]]. |
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Regular users, colloquially known as ''Wheelers'' or ''Aeronauts'', began to devise and name moves and routines, often to music (Rod Stuart’s ''I Am Sailing'' being the most popular) and sometimes in synchrony with two or more machines. Although the general workout lasts no longer than ten to fifteen minutes, many logged hours and developed tricks and stunts and even a world record published in Guinness’. |
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==External links== |
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== Going to Hollywood == |
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*[http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/cartelfr/visite?srv=rs_display_res&critere=jean+baptiste+carpeaux&operator=AND&nbToDisplay=5&langue=fr A page on the official Louvre site giving access to some of Carpeaux's works (French language only)] |
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As soon as it hit television in Germany the Aerotrim was often featured and used as a prop in movies, television series, commercials and even as a prize in game shows. Its first appearance on American television was in a Pepsi commercial. Dozen more cameos followed, mostly in sci-fi themed shows and movies, including [[Gattaca]], [[The Lawnmower Man]] (although it has been argued by purists that the machine featured here was only influenced by the Aerotrim) and more recently aboard [[Star Trek: Enterprise]]. |
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*[http://www.insecula.com/contact/A005511_oeuvre_1.html A page from insecula.com listing more views of Carpeaux's works (also in French;] it may be necessary to close an advertising window to view this page) |
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*[http://www.studiolo.org/MMA-Ugolino/Ugolino.htm A page analysing Carpeaux's ''Ugolino'', with numerous illustrations] |
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[[Category:French sculptors|Carpeaux, Jean-Baptiste]] |
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== Influence on the 80s == |
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[[Category:1827 births|Carpeaux, Jean-Baptiste]] |
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[[Category:1875 deaths|Carpeaux, Jean-Baptiste]] |
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[[de:Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux]] |
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Its large size and appearance made it an instant crowd pleaser, drawing masses in all its public appearances. It was readily featured in the general media, often in feature stories and cover pages, which is why it enjoyed a world-wide exposure. |
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[[fr:Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux]] |
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[[nl:Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux]] |
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Its size and retail price made it unreachable for most private owners and it was only large gyms, hospitals and even freestyle-ski resorts that acquired it, often several at once. |
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[[pl:Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux]] |
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[[pt:Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux]] |
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If a giant leap from gym equipment to toy, it was a small step to space. It did not take long for the aeronautical community to see its value for equilibrium and weightlessness exercise. An entire fleet was acquired by [[Lufthansa]], another by the Korean air force and several were used by the German space agency for astronaut training. Most European astronauts that have gone to MIR used the Aerotrim for preparation. Soon the myth emerged that the Aerotrim was originally developed to prepare astronauts for weightlessness.”[http://www.euroviva.com/rental_bungee_trampoline_jumping_ice_tower/aerotrim.html] This however is obviously inaccurate. To this day ESA uses the machine for its official training programs,[http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMMRU2IU7E_business_0.html] as well as part of its public training programs.[http://www.mydays.de/aussergewoehnliche-geschenke/iss-esa-full-scale-training.html] |
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[[zh:让-巴蒂斯·卡尔波]] |
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== Variations == |
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Several variations of the original were produced, some by ''Contactos'', some by cloners. These include a children’s version (MiniAerotrim), wheelchair versions suitable for use by paraplegics or quadriplegics[http://www.gyrogym.com/custombuilds.html], as well as motorized versions. |
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Its primary role in sci-fi movies, besides futuristic astronaut-trainer, was as a Virtual Environment simulator[http://vr.isdale.com/vrTechReviews/MotionLinks_2000.html] and [http://usa.thegreatevent.com/content/themedetails.asp?themeID=4]. But it was not until the mid-nineties that it actually was used as such. Adding VR goggles and a joystick it could be used to play a few games, but since its motion is controlled by the user, its application for VE simulation was limited. This was changed when a motorized version was introduced, which basically interlocked the Aerotrim and user in a VE. Designed as an entertainment device, this version supported VEs in a Head Mounted Display, 3-D binaural sound spacing and up to two joysticks, with either head tracking or user tracking based on the position of the gyroscope. |
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== Clone wars == |
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Just a year after the launch, the first clones appeared and ''Contactos'', owning world-wide patents by then, saw itself involved in its inaugural patent-battle. But the clones kept on coming in the US, Italy, Korea, France, and other countries, trying to avoid the patents by changing the foothold and even the shape (some companies produced square and even decagon shaped clones[http://www.stuermer.de/spacefly.htm]) as well as the firm hip support which alone made the Aerotrim a controllable device. Over the following years international lawyers were hired to handle the various court cases. ''Contactos'' basically won all of them, but the legal fees soon outweighed the company’s income from this project and Contactos had to keep on financing it through other business activities. |
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In a final desperate move to save a sinking ship, ''Contactos'' passed on rights to an Irish company named “Lifeway Ltd.” But even this movement could not save it from doom. Soon they too had to cease production. Nearly exactly ten years after its birth, the last true Aerotrim was produced in late 1990 and the patent rights were lost due to lack of interest in keeping them alive. |
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At present, there are several clone versions of the original Aerotrim with different names on the market, but the only company still building variations with modest success is GyroGym, Inc. |
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== Sources == |
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*[http://www.hitl.washington.edu/scivw/IDA/ INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES - IDA Review of Virtual Environment Interface Technology] (includes Orbotron) |
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*[http://www.ece.ubc.ca/~elec518/lectures/lecture6.pdf#search=%22Cybertron%20orbotron%22 Full body, Olfactory, Gustatory, Technologies] (includes Cybertron and Orbotron) |
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*[http://www.weltderwunder.de/wdw/RaumfahrtWelt/SpaceCamp/SpaceCamp2005/2_Mission/index.html?ID=nav_r_f civilian training programs] (Germany) |
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*''Give Your Wallet a Workout'' -- Time Magazine, January 13, 1992 |
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*''Die Pannen mit der Raumfaehre schrecken Astronauten nicht ab'' – Bonner Rundschau, Dienstag, 23. Oktober 1990 |
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*''The Future of Fitness'', Men's Journal, September 2005 [http://www.mensjournal.com/healthFitness/0509/workout_gyroscope.html] |
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[[Category:Sports equipment]] |
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Revision as of 01:07, 19 June 2007
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux.
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (May 11, 1827, Valenciennes –October 12, 1875, Courbevoie) was a French sculptor and painter. His early studies were under François Rude. Carpeaux won the Prix de Rome in 1854, and moving to Rome to find inspiration, he there studied the works of Michelangelo, Donatello and Verrocchio. Staying in Rome from 1854 to 1861, he obtained a taste for movement and spontaneity, which he joined with the great principles of baroque art. In 1861 he made a bust of Princess Mathilde, and this later brought him several commissions from Napoleon III. He worked at the pavilion of Flora, and the Opéra Garnier. His group La Danse (the Dance, 1869), situated on the right side of the façade, was criticised as an offence to common decency.
He never managed to finish his last work, the famous Fountain of the Four Parts of the Earth, on the Place Camille Jullian. He did finish the terrestrial globe, supported by the four figures of Asia, Europe, America and Africa, and it was Emmanuel Frémiet who completed the work by adding the eight leaping horses, the tortoises and the dolphins of the basin.
Sculptures by Carpeaux
- Ugolin et ses fils - Ugolino and his Sons (1861, in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)[[1]] with versions in other museums including the Musée d'Orsay
- The Dance (commissioned for the Opera Garnier)
- Jeune pêcheur à la coquille - Neapolitan Fisherboy - in the Louvre, Paris [[2]]
- Girl with Shell
- Antoine Watteau monument, Valenciennes
Neapolitan Fisherboy
Carpeaux submitted a plaster version of Pêcheur napolitain à la coquille, the Neapolitan Fisherboy, to the French Academy while a student in Rome. He carved the marble version several years later, showing it in the Salon exhibition of 1863. It was purchased for Napoleon III's empress, Eugènie. The statue of the young smiling boy was very popular, and Carpeaux created a number of reproductions and variations in marble and bronze. There is a copy, for instance, in the Samuel H. Kress Collection in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
Some years later, he carved the Girl with a Shell, a very similar study.
Carpeaux sought real life subjects in the streets and broke with the classical tradition. The Neapolitan Fisherboy's body is carved in intimate detail and shows an intricately balanced pose. Carpeaux claimed that he based the Neapolitan Fisherboy on a boy he had seen during a trip to Naples.
External links
- A page on the official Louvre site giving access to some of Carpeaux's works (French language only)
- A page from insecula.com listing more views of Carpeaux's works (also in French; it may be necessary to close an advertising window to view this page)
- A page analysing Carpeaux's Ugolino, with numerous illustrations