Holograms Are Here, And I Holoported Myself To Prove It
For decades, science fiction has promised us a world full of interactive three-dimensional images. They are finally upon us (and you can actually buy one for <$400).
Star Wars. Total Recall. Back To The Future. Minority Report. These famous films all portrayed variations of futuristic technologies capable of showing moving 3D images in physical space. The idea is so common in science fiction because it’s so compelling, and seems an inevitable leap from the interfaces we’re accustomed to. Scientists and technologists — many inspired by such films — have tried hard to realize these dreams. But despite frequent headlines claiming breakthroughs, nearly every demonstration has been either impractical — requiring elaborate setups, exorbitant costs, controlled environments, or individual headsets — or an illusion. The hologram has remained like a mirage… seemingly close at hand, but inevitably out of reach.
That’s now changing. Looking Glass Factory just unveiled the world’s first affordable, practical holographic display, called the Looking Glass. It’s a self-contained wonder of optical ingenuity that shows true 3D content right in front of your eyes — no headset required. It is beautifully bright, can be viewed simultaneously by multiple users, and works with industry-standard 3D filetypes and software packages like Unity.
Starting today, it is available for pre-order on Kickstarter for less than $400. The team behind this product — including founders Shawn Frayne and Alex Hornstein — have spent years pursuing the dream of the hologram, shipping multiple prior products before arriving at at a solution they are proud to name after their company. They can’t wait to get it in the hands of others.
The Looking Glass is a product designed specifically for the millions of professionals who author 3D content on a daily basis: architects, video game makers, product designers, illustrators, animators, artists and engineers. There’s a tremendous amount of material ready to be put inside a Looking Glass; these creators collectively make billions of bits of three dimensional content, and will now have a powerful new means beyond a flat, 2D screen to interacting with and share their work.
Many new types of experiences are now possible as well. A surgeon can visualize procedures with a patient. A museum can bring new life to ancient objects. A store can showcase boundless merchandise. But what excites me most is when everyday people get involved. Most consumers aren’t yet ready for such an artifact from the future, simply because we don’t possess the tools to easily capture or create 3D content. But that is also quickly changing.
To prove my point, I enlisted the help of my friends at DepthKit. They make software to easily film holographic (also known as volumetric) video. All that’s required is a camera with a depth sensor — something the latest iPhone already has built-in. Using their beta software and a prosumer-grade camera, we decided on a quick remake of a famous scene from Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, when an overly-eager Mike Teevee becomes the first person beamed through Wonkavision.
This didn’t require special effects, complex coding or fancy equipment. These same capture capabilities will soon be available to a much broader audience. Looking Glass displays will become larger and higher-resolution. What does this mean for our future?
Imagine capturing family memories in vivid 3D, not just from a single perspective but an entire scene at once, to be relived from any angle. “HoloConferencing” becomes commonplace, bringing a sense of true presence to remote communication. Sports will be experienced like never before:
Great investment is being poured into augmented and virtual reality, and the efforts will no doubt yield magical experiences. The fundamental tools and techniques to create content for these mediums is quite similar, but the end result couldn’t be more different. A headset-centric worldview foretells an awkward, socially isolating future, where every user sees their own version of reality. The hologram brings many of these same experiences into our physical environment with us, to be consumed in shared space and time amongst family, friends and colleagues. That’s a future where technology helps make human connections stronger, and one I’m quite excited for.
