Researchers Develop a 360-degree Holographic Display

Researches at USC have developed a way to project a 360 degree holographic image, it's not project onto thin air, but is projected onto spinning mirrors.

Researchers Develop a 360-degree Holographic Display

Researchers at USC have taken another step towards that holiest of sci-fi dreams: the 3D holographic display. Using a spinning mirror covered with a "holographic diffuser," a special DVI implementation, and a high-speed projector, the team's device can project a three-dimensional image that can be viewed from 360 degrees -- regardless of the viewer's height and distance.

Actual pictures of the Holograph

Rendering for an Interactive 360º Light Field Display

ABSTRACT

We describe a set of rendering techniques for an autostereoscopic light field display able to present interactive 3D graphics to multiple simultaneous viewers 360 degrees around the display. The display consists of a high-speed video projector, a spinning mirror covered by a holographic diffuser, and FPGA circuitry to decode specially rendered DVI video signals.

It's not projected onto thin air, but it is very impressive. In the first link there is a video showing the holograph and how it looks when you walk around it, even when moving up and down.


[edit on 31/8/07 by Keyhole]

So basically the very first 'holodeck' is going to be a room where the walls spin and are made of mirrors? lol

Seriously, though...that's pretty cool. Nice find....

The Holodeck will be filled with vomit. Get your wetsuit and air tank.

No. I wouldn't call this holodeck technology YET!
The mirrors are spinning REALLY fast, you can hardly see their edges as they are spinning in the video. I would think it would be pretty dangerous for people to be anywhere near the spinning mirrors

But, you have to take little steps before you can run.
It's a good start though.

[edit on 31/8/07 by Keyhole]

Thats pretty damn sexy

Never thought a spinning mirror would produce that sort of effect.

Its a nice start and im sure there are many other ways to get the same effect.

Would be great to see them create a ping pong game using that technology im sure they could,and that would be a start for 3d holograph gaming.

Next step after would be a real life Matrix, just plug your concious into it and off you go real life "second life" type gaming!

I just watched the video. That is so cool! But it's still a long way from the "photons and force-fields" hologram of Star Trek fame. But still, it's a start.