Better than a hologram: BYU study produces 3D images that float in 'thin air'

We've seen them in science fiction movies for decades but now a team at Brigham Young University in Utah have created a 3D volumetric image akin to that of Princess Leia projected by R2D2 in Star Wars , the image is full 3D and can be observed from any angle unlike a hologram

“We refer to this colloquially as the Princess Leia project,” Smalley said. “Our group has a mission to take the 3D displays of science fiction and make them real. We have created a display that can do that.”
First things, first, Smalley says. The image of Princess Leia is not what people think it is: It’s not a hologram. A 3D image that floats in air, that you can walk all around and see from every angle, is actually called a volumetric image. Examples of volumetric images include the 3D displays Tony Stark interacts with in "Iron Man" or the massive image-projecting table in "Avatar."

A holographic display scatters light only at a 2D surface. If you aren’t looking at that surface, you won’t see the 3D image because you must be looking at the scattering surface to see the image. A volumetric display has little scattering surfaces scattered throughout a 3D space — the same space occupied by the 3D image — so if you are looking at the image you’re are also looking at the scatters. For this reason, a volumetric image can be seen from any angle.

news.byu.edu...

How cool is that !

The technique, described in Nature on 24 January1, works more like a high-speed Etch a Sketch: it uses forces conveyed by a set of near-invisible laser beams to trap a single particle — of a plant fibre called cellulose — and heat it unevenly. That allows researchers to push and pull the cellulose around. A second set of lasers projects visible light — red, green and blue — onto the particle, illuminating it as it moves through space. Humans cannot discern images at rates faster than around 10 per second, so if the particle is moved fast enough, its trajectory appears as a solid line — like a sparkler moving in the dark. And if the image changes quickly enough, it seems to move. The display can be overlaid on real objects and viewers can walk around it in real space.

Nature.com, Jan. 24, 2018 - Physicists create Star Wars-style 3D projections — just don’t call them holograms.

A bit more info on how they do this.

That is so fricken' cool!!

It is at the beginning stages of development but who cares! They already have some funding and will continue to make improvements. What clever little monkeys!

Frikken' lasers!

a reply to: gortex

I wonder how long it will be until we have either

A) Robot AI that look like humans (skin, hair, etc.) that are charismatic and "lifelike" enough to trick the human race into thinking that they are human, and they begin running for public office in order to annihilate all humans, or

B) Humans whose mind and "consciousness" have been transferred into something like these holograms, who then can run for public office acting as if they "are actually human, but without the body"

On topic - very cool development in the fields of optics and science in general

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

It is at the beginning stages of development but who cares! They already have some funding and will continue to make improvements. What clever little monkeys!

They need to give it to p0rnhub so we can get the tech done by next week.

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: gortex

I wonder how long it will be until we have either

A) Robot AI that look like humans (skin, hair, etc.) that are charismatic and "lifelike" enough to trick the human race into thinking that they are human, and they begin running for public office in order to annihilate all humans, or

B) Humans whose mind and "consciousness" have been transferred into something like these holograms, who then can run for public office acting as if they "are actually human, but without the body"

On topic - very cool development in the fields of optics and science in general

You mean like have "Godzilla" appear? Or maybe a 'prophet from a Holy Book'? Sure beats a 'burning bush'... At one time there was a CGI of Prince Charles that made Him 'visible' for hundreds or thousands of miles.. For some kind of Energy Summit...

a reply to: gortex

An advertisers dream. Just imagine all the McDonalds and Burger King logos everywhere, we'll be wading past them. Blinded by them. It gonna make TV advertising look old fashioned now they can get to us anytime, all the time, anywhere. Help!

This is how they will fake the Alien invasion live on Fox and CNN

This is so cool s&f

But I'm still waiting for the holodeck

I think that's awesome that B.Y.U is getting on top of the study of true 3-D motion/imaging projection. It's not just UCLA in Australia with Asian Colleagues.

This reminds me of Vectoring projections also with lasers in mid-air. No 2-D imaging/motion used as optical the optical illusion of holographic projection.

True 3-D Motion Projection Mid-Air is going to take many brilliant minds to make happen with a vivid display.
It's always been a very sophisticated leap for our intelligence to wrap around, let's say like a Coliseum movie theater where we view true holographic projection/3-D motion mid-air in the center of the theater!

a reply to: gortex

Very cool! We're going to need more bandwidth I can see it now, the Alexa 15.0 now with volumetric imaging! Get one for your house today at the reduced price of 1/2 bitcoin!

Soon be no need for actors when real-life 3D characters can be 'made' on a computer and 3D 'project' them into a projected 3D film set. They'll all be redundant. The future Hollywood will be a computer program. 'Hollywood-chip' will create and cast A-list movie-avastars: Tom 'Thumb-drive' Cruise, for example.

No more 'casting-couch' either.

Anyway, just thinking out loud.

originally posted by: interupt42
a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

It is at the beginning stages of development but who cares! They already have some funding and will continue to make improvements. What clever little monkeys!

They need to give it to p0rnhub so we can get the tech done by next week.

Uhh What? Where's your head mate.

@op I love seeing real technological developments in the public domain. The things our species should be focusing on and making advancements in the different sectors of science.

All the politics can go away, we need real news and hopes for a better future. Though this development is small it has huge implications for future applications.

a reply to: gortex


Holy Crap!

We're no longer in the 1980s.

We're in the days of Noah hahaaha. gahahah (gasping) haha???!?

Seriously, though that was awesome, can't wait to watch porn on that.

B) Humans whose mind and "consciousness" have been transferred into something like these holograms, who then can run for public office acting as if they "are actually human, but without the body"

This is already here look up Psychasec.
They said it was some thing for a "Netflix" series supposedly but I wouldn't be surprised if that was just a cover.

originally posted by: Elementalist

originally posted by: interupt42
a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

It is at the beginning stages of development but who cares! They already have some funding and will continue to make improvements. What clever little monkeys!

They need to give it to p0rnhub so we can get the tech done by next week.

Uhh What? Where's your head mate.

@op I love seeing real technological developments in the public domain. The things our species should be focusing on and making advancements in the different sectors of science.

All the politics can go away, we need real news and hopes for a better future. Though this development is small it has huge implications for future applications.

Believe it or not the porn industry is credited with advancing technology.


www.businessinsider.com...

originally posted by: ufoorbhunter
a reply to: gortex

An advertisers dream. Just imagine all the McDonalds and Burger King logos everywhere, we'll be wading past them. Blinded by them. It gonna make TV advertising look old fashioned now they can get to us anytime, all the time, anywhere. Help!

Your TV set will become holographic as well

a reply to: gortex
Cool technology but no it does NOT produce 3D images that float in thin air. Depending on how you interpret the quotes around "thin air" you can say it produces images that float in "thin air" but the quotes mean it's not really thin air, we still can't do that and it may not be possible.

What they are apparently doing is taking a particle and dragging it around in the air and using the particle as a projection screen. That's pretty cool, but the particle is not thin air.