The new device allows you to create holograms using ultrasound

Researchers at the University of Sussex(UK) appear to be fans of the Star Wars movie series. But even if this is not so, they created a device that is very similar to the holographic interfaces that were used in the “far-distant Galaxy”. The new development using ultrasound is able to create animated 3D objects that can talk and interact with observers.

It’s possible that science fiction isn’t such a fantasy ...

How to create a hologram

During a demonstration of the operation of the device, scientistsshowed a butterfly flapping its wings, a countdown timer written in numbers hanging in the air, and the spinning planet Earth. In addition to interactive digital objects and animations, scientists want to use the interface for a new way of visualizing data.

Although the images look like holography,the device is not a holographic projector in the usual sense. Instead, it uses a three-dimensional field of ultrasonic waves. Scientists call their system a multimodal acoustic trap display (MATD). Despite the rather interesting results (which you can see on the video after reading the article to the end), experts use simple technology: images are created between two horizontal plates, in which many, many small speakers are built.

See also: AI will help holographic technology reach a new level

In the demonstrated experience was used512 speakers, but their number can be changed both smaller and larger. Since images are created in three-dimensional space, they can be viewed from any angle. And by carefully monitoring the ultrasonic field, scientists can make objects speak, or even make sounds. Or do it all with musical accompaniment.

In addition to simple digital objects, the display canbe used to create new forms of visual interaction. Let's say you want to feel like Harry Potter. You can simply reach out, cast a spell, and a luminous ball will appear in your hand, which will also make a corresponding sound. - said one of the authors of the development Sriram Subramanyan in an interview with The Guardian.

Three-dimensional image of the Earth

In the course of work between the already mentioned plateswith the help of the speakers, a sound field inaudible to a person is created that contains a tiny “pocket” with low-pressure air. This air forms an image. And to give objects color, scientists use a regular RGB projector. Speech and other sounds, such as musical accompaniment, can be added by regular sound waves. But the most interesting thing ahead is that such holograms can even be physically felt.

With this technology you can stretchhand and feel digital images. Says another author, Ewan Freeman of the University of Glasgow. The most interesting thing in “tactile content” is that it allows you to get new impressions of working with virtual objects. I imagine a future where 3D displays can create sensations that are indistinguishable from real physical objects that they demonstrate.

Would you like to try such a hologram in practice? Tell us about it in our chat in Telegram. All this is also possible thanks to the vibration of ultrasonic waves that act on the baroreceptors (receptors that recognize pressure) of human skin. Of course, the sensations are far from real, but on the other hand, according to the developers, this does not look like vibration from smartphones and game controllers. So this is definitely a step forward in the development of such technologies.

</ p>