Wetting of porous solids.

This paper presents a simple, three stage method to simulate the mechanics of wetting of porous solid objects, like sponges and cloth, when they interact with a fluid. In the first stage, we model the absorption of fluid by the object when it comes in contact with the fluid. In the second stage, we model the transport of absorbed fluid inside the object, due to diffusion, as a flow in a deforming, unstructured mesh.

Making them remember--emotional virtual characters with memory.

The search for the perfect virtual character is on, but the moment users interact with characters, any illusion that we've found it is broken. Adding memory capabilities to models of human emotions, personality, and behavior traits is a step toward a more natural interaction style.