Touchable Holography, an Emerging Technology

Posted on 11. Aug, 2009 by Bradley Hebdon in News

Touchable Holography - feeling raindrops

Mid-air displays have been seen in Science Fiction movies for several decades. As an example of this interactive holographic experience, the recreational “Holodeck” in Star Trek, instantly springs to mind.

While holograms already exist as virtual objects hovering in front of the user, you cannot touch and feel this object. However, amazingly the University of Tokyo is now demonstrating touchable holography, an emerging technology that brings with it the sensation needed to complete the interactive experience between user and object. For example, when the raindrop hits the user’s palm, he feels tactile sensation. And in another demonstration the user sees and feels a small virtual creature running on his palm.

These are definitely early days, but this opens up call kinds of opportunities for how we interface with applications, games, and even each other.

Watch the video below to see the technology working!