Brigham Young University (BYU) researchers have developed a laser-based animated 3D display that can move in mid-air, which paves the way for immersive experiences that allow people to interact with holographic-like virtual objects that co-exist in their immediate space. To demonstrate this technology, the team created virtual stick figures that walk in thin air.
The team then showcased the interaction between their virtual images and humans by having a student place a finger in the middle of the volumetric display before filming the same stick finger walking along and jumping off that finger. This means that you can play eye tricks with motion parallax, making the display appear a lot larger than it physically is.
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What you’re seeing in the scenes we create is real; there is nothing computer generated about them. This is not like the movies, where the lightsabers or the photon torpedoes never really existed in physical space. These are real, and if you look at them from any angle, you will see them existing in that space. Most 3D displays require you to look at a screen, but our technology allows us to create images floating in space — and they’re physical; not some mirage. This technology can make it possible to create vibrant animated content that orbits around or crawls on or explodes out of every day physical objects,” said lead researcher Dan Smalley, a professor of electrical engineering at BYU.
