Star Trek’s Holodeck – a space where any environment or character can be created in perfect, touchable 3D – is set to become a reality.
Dr. Ryuji Hirayama and his team from the University of Sussex have developed a new technique to create touchable holograms. In the future it will be possible to enjoy a true "virtual reality" experience without using goggles or any other bulky equipment.
The hologram emitter will literally "draw" the images on the air: “Our new technology takes inspiration from old TVs which use a single colour beam scanning along the screen so quickly that your brain registers it as a single image,” says Dr. Hirayama.
“Our prototype does the same using a coloured particle that can move so quickly anywhere in 3D space that the naked eye sees a volumetric image in mid-air,” he says.
But creating the image is only the first part. By adding ultra high-pitched sound above the range of human hearing, the emitter creates a sensation on the skin that feels exactly like touch.
Team member Dr. Diego Martinez Placencia explains: “Even if not audible to us, ultrasound is still a mechanical wave and it carries energy through the air.
“Our prototype directs and focuses this energy, which can then stimulate your ears for audio, or stimulate your skin to feel content.”
It’s sure to create a revolution in entertainment. And it’s likely that one of the first fields that it will be adopted will be in sex tech.
