Holographic projection system

3D screens have come and gone without much fanfare but the medium is still here. Scientists at MIT have cracked a new holographic 3D projector that sits between true holograms and current 3D images.

The idea is to create an object on a screen that can be seen from different viewing angles. So if the user moves their head from side to side they can see around the edges of objects, effectively. It essentially works by projecting light onto a screen that can bend it in different directions, like a illusory version of current parallax 3D.

This could get tiring in the cinema or in front of the TV. But we imagine this would be used for things like online shops or by designers to see objects in three dimensions more clearly.

The modulators in the projector refresh the image 240 times every second and use data compression algorithms which could mean ultra high definition 3D in the future. It should also mean producing "true blacks" which current LED televisions aren't able to truly do. This can all be scaled up for cinema viewing too.

The development is still in its infancy but it's good to see a potential holographic future, or at least a better version of 3D that doesn't mean a headache.

READ: Amazon 3D hologram phone with six cameras and 4.7-inch screen allegedly revealed