University researchers have found a way to create real 3D holograms

[Polycount]

The future may be coming sooner than we think. We've already seen numerous technological leaps in the fields of artificial intelligence, smart home tech, cloning and even levitation over the past several years. However, there's one piece of the science fiction puzzle that continues to elude innovators: true three-dimensional holograms similar to what we've seen in the Star Wars franchise.

A group of researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) may have finally achieved just that, albeit with a few caveats. First of all, the team hasn't created an actual "hologram" - not technically. Rather, they've used an "Optical Trap Display" to create three-dimensional "volumetric images" that can be viewed and interacted with from virtually any angle.

"Often, when we think of an image that's floating in space that's 3D, we think of a hologram," said BYU Professor of Electrical Engineering Daniel Smalley. "But really, a hologram cannot make the Princess Leia image, or the Avatar table, or the Iron Man display. A 3D image that floats in [the air], that you can walk all around and see from every angle, this image is called a 'volumetric image.'"

The Optical Trap Display uses lasers to capture physical particles, meaning images take up actual space. These particles are then moved around to create three-dimensional images. "This display is like a 3D printer for light," Smalley said. "You're actually printing an object in space with these little particles."

So far, researchers have managed to use the technology to create three-dimensional shapes (such as a pyramid), a vaguely Leia-like figure and even something that looks suspiciously like Godzilla. Whether this technology eventually makes it to market or not, it's certainly intriguing to see yet another sci-fi fantasy materialize as reality.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/72942-university-researchers-have-found-way-create-real-3d.html

 

[thedrelle]

Fancy. using light to capture particles is a interesting method.

 

[JaredTheDragon]

Fancy. using light to capture particles is a interesting method.

Considering light is also a particle, and all particle interactions are collisions, this shouldn't seem too farfetched.

 

[lostinlodos]

Wait...
‘Help me ObiGojira, enter the pyramid, you’re my only hope!’?

 

[skipmichael]

They look like they were selling vaporware.

 

[meric]

We keep getting this kind of news every now and then, yet we can't see any such product in market for years. Take graphene for example, I've been reading for years "great advancements" discovered with graphene, I've yet to see any product with graphene tech. Probably too hard to produce a stuff with graphene, then why do they insist on such improper tech?

 

[thedrelle]

We keep getting this kind of news every now and then, yet we can't see any such product in market for years. Take graphene for example, I've been reading for years "great advancements" discovered with graphene, I've yet to see any product with graphene tech. Probably too hard to produce a stuff with graphene, then why do they insist on such improper tech?

Improper? I'm not sure you are using that word as intended.. did you mean improbable?

People continue to play with things like Graphene and holograms because they do eventually make breakthroughs. As an example, Lithium Ion batteries are only as efficient as they are now because engineers keep tinkering with the tech and trying new improbable things to find ways of making them better, more efficient, and cheaper.

 

[meric]

Improper? I'm not sure you are using that word as intended.. did you mean improbable?

People continue to play with things like Graphene and holograms because they do eventually make breakthroughs. As an example, Lithium Ion batteries are only as efficient as they are now because engineers keep tinkering with the tech and trying new improbable things to find ways of making them better, more efficient, and cheaper.

sorry english is not my native language, the word I was looking for was "impractical" To the topic, yeah they (researchers) probably invent some new stuff while tinkering on graphene related stuff but as I read in some researches, graphene as a material is very difficult and expensive to produce for now