Volumetric displays

Burton is showing their Aerial True 3D volumetric display at CES 2012. This display (unveiled on November 2011) uses lasers to create a volumetric display and is based on technology developed in 2006 by AIST and Keio University. The idea is to use lasers to produce plasma excitation from oxygen an nitrogen atoms in the air:

Microsoft research has unveiled Vermeer, a novel "interactive 360° viewable display" suitable for a tabletop form factor. Vermeer provides viewpoint corrected auto-stereoscopic 3D graphics to simultaneous users 360° around the display:

Burton is showing a new system that uses lasers to create a volumetric display, based on technology developed in 2006 by AIST and Keio University. The idea is to use lasers to produce plasma excitation from oxygen an nitrogen atoms in the air.

The prototype system on show is monochromatic and can handle about 50,000 "pixels" (or voxels) per second, or 10-15 frames per second. Burton is already working on the next generation which will add red and blue lasers to get color images, and will also reach 24-30 fps.

Nick Schulze developed a neat 3D display - a 8x8x8 LED cube that is controlled by Matlab:

Here's how to create one - the electronics, LEDs and even the Matlab code....

MIT Media Labs created a new 'actuated surface' called Recompose. It's actually a gesture-controlled 3D display. The system uses the "Relief table" that consists of 120 pins which can change in height - and so they can act as both input and visual output. The system includes a depth camera above for the gesture control. Here's a very cool video explaining it all:

MIT researchers from the SENSEable City Lab have created a new volumetric 3D display that moves around - using a "swarm" of micro helicopters, each functioning as a single pixel...

It's not clear whether the display actually works yet... but what a cool idea!

Via DVice

3DIcon announced that the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) has decided to give them a grant of $150,000 (in 2010), bringing the total two-year award to almost $300,000.

The grants were given due to 3DIcon's CSpace development efforts - their full color, 360 degress volumetric displays.