Princess Leia hologram could become reality. Scientists one step closer.

Researchers at Hewlett-Packard Labs in Palo Alto say they are a step closer to creating 'Princess Leia' type holograms which in the not so distant future could make their way to smartphones, smart watches and tablets.

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To make the device, researchers at Hewlett-Packard Labs in Palo Alto, California, built a transparent screen with tiny light emitting diodes (LEDs) around the edges. Light rays sent towards the centre encounter pixels that steer the light out of the screen in different directions. Through careful control of the light, the device sends slightly different images to each eye, which are combined in the brain into a 3D object.

Okay so its not quite Star Wars material yet but its a start.

Neil Dodgson, professor of graphics and imaging at Cambridge University's Computer Laboratory, said major challenges must be overcome before hologram-like displays are a reality on mobile devices. Key among these are whether the 3D effect comes at the expense of resolution and image quality. "The examples given in the paper show that there is considerable work to be done to improve the quality to an acceptable level," he wrote.

Lets hope they keep working on this and dont let it go stalemate, would be pretty cool to have a holographic smartphone :-)