Touchable holograms

Researchers at Tokyo University have come up with a technology that they hope could be a significant step away from the mouse and keyboard: touchable holograms.

Hiroyuki Shinoda, professor at Tokyo University says:

“Up until now, holography has been for the eyes only, and if you’d try to touch it, your hand would go right through. But now we have a technology that also adds the sensation of touch to holograms.”

The technology consists of software that uses ultrasonic waves to create pressure on the hand of a user touching the projected hologram.

Researchers are using two Wiimotes from Nintendos Wii gaming system to track a users hand.

The technology was introduced at SIGGRAPH, an annual computer graphics conference, and has so far only been tested with relatively simple objects.


Touchable holography

2 thoughts on “Touchable holograms

  1. vrandy.myopenid.com says:

    It’s … interesting.

    It certainly does not provide a _realistic_ sensation of touch, if that’s what anyone is expecting. And the effect is certainly not strong enough to stop you from accidentally putting your fingers ‘through’ the object you’re manipulating. (A common problem with this sort of interface.)

    However, It may be useful in the same way that rumble-packs are useful in video games. A controller vibrating does not really translate to shooting a gun or driving a car, but combined with a visual a rumbler can trick your brain into thinking you’re feeling more than you really are. Perhaps one day one of these air-touch systems can provide that same level of brain-fooling sensation.

  2. Thai Nguyen says:

    Neymar: Enjoy Him While You Can cá độ đá banh trực tuyến
    While not disagreeing with KC about Neymar having a great international career so far and the possibility of an even better one please refer to the career trajectories of 2 other Brazilians who were thought of in a similar vein.

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK