Scientists are working on a device that uses ultrasound waves to create futuristic holographic images

Researchers have moved one step closer to producing 3D holographic projections which are not only good for visual & audio communication but can enable physical interaction as well. This could be a huge step forward to diminishing the difference between real & virtual worlds. We have already seen Virtual Reality (VR) being used for some useful medical training and entertainment purposes.

Scientists at the University of Sussex, England have built a device that aminates 3D objects that can interact with people in the surroundings. The device is not as futuristic as some of the holographic projections that you might have seen in the Star Wars movie, but the endeavor has certainly taken the first basic step in that direction.

The device employs a 3D field of ultrasound waves to levitate a 2mm-wide polystyrene bead moving around at speeds of around 20mph tracing the shape of an object in one-tenth of a second. The demonstrations created so far by the researchers consist of simple animations like a butterfly flapping its wings, a vocal countdown & a colorful rotating Earth. Scientists want to have the ability to not only visualize the animation but to feel the data.

“I believe that in the future, such displays will allow us to interact with our family and friends as if they are close by, so you can see, touch and hear them.”

~ Sriram Subramanian, Team Researcher

The Sussex team had been working on making sound waves to move objects since 2015. The big challenge here was to make the beads move fast enough that it appears as a single image to an onlooker. With this experiment, they were successfully able to achieve that, at 20mph the brain doesn’t see the rapidly moving bead, but a complete shape.

The colors were added to the volumetric display via the built-in LEDs which shine on the bead as it zips around. The resulting 3D images from this process can be viewed from any angle. The sound was added to these animated images with the use of the ultrasonic field. The vibrations from the bead can actually be tuned to produce an entire range of human hearing soundwaves.

The same waves of pressure that are applied to the bead to control it, can be used to create a sense of touch as well, something that no other volumetric display can do. At its very basic, the display can create 3D color animations within a 10cm-wide cube of air. But if they can get the beads to move even faster, or use multiple beads, they can create bigger & more complex images which are interactive in nature.

Although existing software can be used to make sure tiny beads don’t crash into each other when moving at high speeds, illumination of multiple beads in mid-air is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Nevertheless, this invention will have great potential for futuristic displays where you can interact with digital images.

Complete research was published in Nature Journal.

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