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Heliodisplay In Production

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the toys-i-need-at-home dept.

David writes "News of a 3D display that projects an interactive image into thin air, the Heliodisplay, is not exactly fresh. What is new however, is that this once far-fetched conceptual object is now real, working and being sold. For those of you who have forgotten, the Heliodisplay from company IO2Tech projects into the air (without a need for special screen) images fed to it from a variety of sources. In a way, it's a working version of R2D2s holographic projection system." A similar product, the Pocket Beamer was previously covered on Slashdot.

32 of 214 comments (clear)

  1. R2 the pimp by bigwavejas · · Score: 5, Funny
    "In a way, it's a working version of R2D2s holographic projection system.

    The only difference is R2 didn't have a 22" Free-space multimedia display/projector protruding from his chest.

    ...but if it shot out from his groin, that'd damn sure impress C3PO.

    --
    "Simplify, simplify, simplify!" Thoreau
  2. Practicality by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Possible uses for this product include advertising, entertainment facilities, design prototyping, teleconferencing etc.

    Having been about the radiology dept of the local hospital and having a few visits to the "turn your head and cough" clinic, thanks to a broken clavicle, I can think of a pretty good use. How about those ct-scans? Or is it really just 2D projected in 3D? Seems true 3D would appear muddy as you'd be seeing through translucent objects, unless they've come up with a way to make air opaque.

    Obviously the applications for such a product are endless. Most importantly it may convince my wife to finally allow the purchase of the Brook Burke Swimsuit calendar for testing purposes!

    Yesh! The most obvious! pr0n!

    Dear Santa, I wanna Heliodisplay, a 3D camera, and Natalie Pr0tman for Christmas...

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Practicality by FLAGGR · · Score: 4, Informative

      Should've RTFA. It's a 2d image projected into the air, and since you don't have the flat surface as a screen to aid in your eyes depth perception, it appears 3D

    2. Re:Practicality by bcattwoo · · Score: 5, Funny
      Having been about the radiology dept of the local hospital and having a few visits to the "turn your head and cough" clinic, thanks to a broken clavicle, I can think of a pretty good use.

      Hmmm.. If they are making you "turn your head and cough" for a broken clavicle, you may want to go to another clinic!

  3. Slashdot Effect in 3D! by RobertB-DC · · Score: 3, Funny

    I still have to cross my eyes to see it, though.

    Service Temporarily Unavailable

    The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.

    Additionally, a 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
    Apache/2.0.48 (Linux/SuSE) Server at www.io2technology.com Port 80

    --
    Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
    1. Re:Slashdot Effect in 3D! by confuted · · Score: 3, Informative

      Here's a Mirrordot Link

    2. Re:Slashdot Effect in 3D! by ShadeARG · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I wonder if there is a mod_slashdot around that will serve a 503 if it detects a few Slashdot referrers in a short period of time. That would be a smart way to save bandwidth. It would be nicer if it would automatically coral cache itself and then serve a redirect though.

    3. Re:Slashdot Effect in 3D! by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And still no freakin' price list- who puts up a ecommerce site and fails to tell people how much the damn thing COSTS?

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    4. Re:Slashdot Effect in 3D! by Professional+Slacker · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I think this is one of those, if you have to ask you can't afford it things.

      --
      A Free Market requires informed intelligent consumers, such people are rare, we're in trouble.
  4. The pocket beamer? by lpangelrob · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that you, or are you just projecting yourself to be happy to see me?

    --
    -Rob

    Biblical fiscal responsibility

  5. Damn that was quick. by MrCopilot · · Score: 5, Informative
    Karma, its not just for whoring anymore.

    http://mirrordot.org/stories/0e4768d9cefb72835cc26 04c911d6919/index.html

    Nifty Display though. Cost anyone?

    --
    OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
  6. Back to the Future! by melonriel · · Score: 3, Funny

    So how long before the 3D version of Jaws comes out and the advertisements for it attack you while you're walking down the street?

  7. What's this going to do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm not interested until I can have sex with it

  8. The perfect (geek) UI! by operagost · · Score: 3, Funny
    A tiny holographic projection of Darth Vader: "What is thy bidding, my master?"

    Or perhaps Padme instead ...

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  9. Star Wars Science by Ken+Hall · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Couple months back, I read an article about various aspects of Star Wars Science, and how plausible each was thought to be. Curiously, thin-air holograms were at or near the top of the list as "probably impossible".

  10. I hope Six Flags... by Blitzenn · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I hope places like Six Flags latch onto this stuff. (I did get to see it before the site went down). The projected image looks much more solid than I would have guessed it would be. That's good news. Maybe now Rollercoasters and such can have a whole new level of fear and excitement added to them. Imagine hurtling down that drop at 120mph, right toward what appears to be a solid wall, no coaster tracks veering off to one side to ease your mind. Or perhaps a person standing in front of your car as you careen toward it. Maybe (holographic) people flying out of the car ahead of you as you careen around a bend. Such cool and nasty fearful things we could do to scare the pants of people now.

  11. Google cache by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Google cached page Images

  12. Re:Phfft by 3-State+Bit · · Score: 3, Informative

    Holographic, as in
    Although the HelioDisplay uses lasers, the images are not holographic.
    It is, however, an hovering 2D image which is as cool now as the first time I saw it (1986)


    Do you mean the image had no depth values? (Was a hovering plane?)

    Here is the article text (with links):



    Interactive 3D Display: Its Here!
    Posted on 08.17.05 @ 7:05 am
      Story by Asim Waqar

    Originally mentioned at Gizmodo as a prototype in 2003, IO2 Technology has just completed the production unit and provided the details behind the revolutionary HelioDisplay which produces interactive 3D dsiplays in thin air (via lasers) from common sources.

    The HelioDisplay technology page lists some of its remarkable features:

    Inputs from most regular sources: PC,TV, DVD, HDTV, Video game consoles
    Projects a 22 to 42 (depending on model) diagonal image that floats above the device
    It is interactive, like a virtual touch screen: a hand or finger can act as a mouse
    Although the HelioDisplay uses lasers, the images are not holographic
    Possible uses for this product include advertising, entertainment facilities, design prototyping, teleconferencing etc. Obviously the applications for such a product are endless. Most importantly it may convince my wife to finally allow the purchase of the Brook Burke Swimsuit calendar for testing purposes! This of course relies heavily on pricing (TBD) and other more, um, personal matters.

    Apparently the product is ready for release; visit the product page here which looks like its being updated right now.

    Visit the IO2TECHNOLOGY company homepage here.


  13. What's really cool . . . . by erikharrison · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I remember seeing the heliodisplay ~9 months ago, when it was still a prototype. They has some videos of the thing in action. It had, at the time, a few problems, the biggest being that the vents that blow the air which the image is projected on can cause ripples in the air flow that affect the image.

    However, the cool feature the Heliodisplay has that I've not seen anyone mention is that it can register someone placing their hand in the image field, and move the objects around.

  14. Is it going to be good enough by WormholeFiend · · Score: 3, Funny

    to view pr0n with it?

    Finally, a "screen" that doesn't need cleaning.

  15. Took me a minute to find the link... by Ken+Hall · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The relevant page from the article is here described in the heading as "improbable", but the article text says "impossible". Obviously the author doesn't read Slashdot.

  16. Re:What i really want to know is... by Bimo_Dude · · Score: 4, Informative
    Here is the patent for their Method and system for free-space imaging display and interface

    Interesting read.

    --
    "Teleporting Rodents with D-Cell Battery Displacement" theory -- IgnoramusMaximus (692000)
  17. Patent Application by Anm · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Here is the related patent application:
        http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=P TO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2F srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=1&s1='20040001182'.PGNR.&OS =DN/20040001182&RS=DN/20040001182

    As I understand it, it condenses moisture in the surrounding air, and atomizes it into a tightly controlled 3D screen for lasers to project onto. Sounds like a next generation fog screen, plus interactivity.

    Still wish I could see the video. And if they were this close to launch, and already patented, why wasn't it at SIGGraph?

    Anm

  18. Not 3D, 2D by saddino · · Score: 5, Informative

    In a way, it's a working version of R2D2s holographic projection system.

    This is simply 2D projection onto a moving air stream, so "in a way" it's nothing like a hologrpahic projection system.

    From their site: Although the HelioDisplay uses lasers, the images are not holographic

    It is pretty nifty though.

  19. 2D Projected Onto A Mist by BRock97 · · Score: 3, Informative

    It actually works by shooting a mist into the air and projecting an image onto said mist. Some videos of the display in action are located here and here.

    That said, I am glad that the technology from SeaQuest DSV has finally made it. Now, everyone can have a conversation with a creepy old guy or a deceased relative in the comfort of their own home!

    --

    Bryan R.
    The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, or $12.50 as seen on eBay.....
    1. Re:2D Projected Onto A Mist by grassy_knoll · · Score: 3, Funny
      It actually works by shooting a mist into the air and projecting an image onto said mist.


      So the DoS attack against this is a ceiling fan?
      --
      A Human Right
  20. Approx. cost by soccerace09 · · Score: 3, Informative

    According to http://www.overclockersclub.com/, the Heliodisplay will cost you a hefty $22,500, as right now all of the avaliable models are just prototypes.

  21. Arcades by Jodka · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I predict that the initial "killer app" for these things will be arcade gaming. I figure:

    1. It is an insanely great, irresistable technology for gaming.
    2. It is still too expensive for home gaming.
    3. People who can not afford to buy their own will still pay to play one in an arcade.

    Computers and game consoles replaced the pay-to-play arcade games which boomed in the 80's. That's because the price of computing fell so low that owning your own game machine became a better bargain than travelling to an arcade and paying a fee to use one. The same conditions which supported arcades in the past, awsome gaming hardware unafordable in the home market, may have returned here.

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature.
  22. Once again.. slashdot as antiserver weapon. by plasmacutter · · Score: 3, Funny

    The second link in this article is now completely gone.. the server is now denying permission (i presume to avoid actually having to COPE with the bandwidth issues)

    HAHA.. i would totally abuse this power if i were allowed to post stories.

    --
    VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
  23. Talk about unspun reporting by oskard · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Filed under: General and Unusual

    So those two aren't mutually exclusive? Does that mean its generally unusual?

    --
    Sigs are for Terrorists.
  24. Never mind... by jpellino · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'd asked how it was going to make an image with nothing to reflect off of - and it doesn't.
    It's a fog screen - a really neat one that concentrates condensate out of the ambient air, but a fog screen nontheless. No pot of water, no Disney lagoon.
    According to the patent, it relies on cold air condensate blown up in a laminar layer.
    Good thing - had it relied on blowing *hot* air, they'd have been denied due to prior art from SCO.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  25. Yes I'm at my desk by planckscale · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I plan on creating a holographic image of myself sitting in front of my PC, so when the boss looks in his spycam or walks by, I will be sitting there working diligently.

    --
    Namaste