“Touchable” 3D Holograms

By Kaitlynn Bayne

Researchers at the University of Bristol’s (Bristol, England) Department of Computer Science have recently published a research paper where they reveal a new method they have created to produce holographic 3D images that can be felt.  Simply put, this method uses ultrasound- which focuses on hands above the device and can be felt.  The use of ultrasound allows the image to be seen, and creates disturbances in the air, which are what can be felt.  This is how these 3-D holograms can be “touched.”

These holograms could be very useful in many different fields.  The technology specifically could aid in the classroom, especially in cases where the class is looking at artifacts, sculptures, or anything else that could be better understood by having it physically present.  Another benefit, according to Dr. Ben Long, Research Assistant from the Bristol Interaction and Graphics (BIG) group in the Department of Computer Science, the “touchable” holograms could be of great help specifically when working with objects that aren’t usually tangible.  Specifically, he states that one of the lab’s idea is the ability “[to feel] the differences between materials in a CT scan.”  If this idea were to become a reality, doctors would be able to tell if you had a tumor based on the feel of the CT scan’s 3-D holographic image.

This paper has only recently been published, so it is clear that this technology is not quite where it needs to be to get on the market quite yet.  However, when it does, it could change the face of both the classroom and the hospital alike. 

Research:http://spaceindustrynews.com/engineers-have-invented-touchable-3d-holograms/4820/

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