Touch-Enabled Volumetric Displays through the Use of Elastic Bands
Hitting a Homerun in 3D Interaction
Volumetric displays are a serious game-changer, but the catch? Interacting with them can be a complicated affair. A 3D mouse is cool, but unless you're a CAD whiz, it's a tad unintuitive. But fear not, researchers from the Public University of Navarra have cracked the code, creating a touchable volumetric display that brings touchscreen-like interactions to the third dimension (preprint paper).
At the heart of this innovation is a swept-volume volumetric display: a light-diffusing screen oscillates along one axis, while a projector from below displays cross-sections of the scene in sync with the screen's position. The big twist? The researchers swapped out the regular screen for six strips of elastic material. You give it a touch, and presto! One or more of the strips deform, allowing the touch to be detected while also sparing the display.
The hardware is as user-friendly as it gets: elastic bands intended for clothes serve as the screen material, and two modified subwoofers drive the screen's oscillation. In fact, some design aspects draw inspiration from our very own website article. While there's a mix-up in the citation, we're thrilled to see a hacker planting seeds in professional research. The cherry on top? A high-speed projector, but fear not, because other projects like the one we've covered, hack a DLP projector to tackle this issue (another project referenced in the paper).
While there's a slight optical distortion when interacting with the display, we think the video below speaks for itself. If you're a fan of volumetric displays, check out another project that displays images using a levitating styrofoam bead.
[Many thanks to Xavi for the heads up!]
Tech Talk:
This touchable volumetric display is a significant stride in the world of interactive technology. While the nitty-gritty of its inner workings aren't elaborately detailed in the available resources, we can infer its function based on the broader context of volumetric displays and touchable holograms.
The display likely projects images in three dimensions using thousands of images per second onto a medium that forms a three-dimensional shape. To make it touchable, researchers integrate sensors and interaction mechanisms that allow users to manipulate the projected images physically, possibly using advanced sensors to detect touch or gestures and software that updates the display in real-time to account for these interactions.
Key features include interactivity, volumetric projection, real-time interaction, and the potential for innovative applications in gaming, education, and design. This technology could revolutionize the way we interact with digital content, offering a new level of immersion and interaction.
- In the realm of technology and science, this touchable volumetric display, using elastic bands for its screen material and modified subwoofers for oscillation, demonstrates a potential fusion of hacking and hardware, pioneering a new era in holographic interaction.
- The advancements in interactive technology, such as this touchable volumetric display, could significantly impact various sectors, from gaming and education to design, by offering a more immersive and interactive experience with digital content.
