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Touchable Holography uses Wiimotes to add touch to holograms

by Laura June posted Aug 6th 2009 at 11:36AM

Researchers from The University of Tokyo have demoed a touchable hologram at Siggraph 2009. The project, called Touchable Holography, involves the use of Wiimotes placed above the display to track hand motion, and an airborne ultrasound tactile display created in the university's lab to create the sensation of touch. The result is a holographic image that produces tactile feedback without any actual touching, and without degrading the image itself. Check out the video after the break for a fuller, more stunning explanation.

Very cool, but i wouldn't really call it a hologram.

Holy S*)@!
This is so amazing, i never thought we can use wii remote to do something like this at all!

I just saw this and was thinking of posting it, but you beat me to it. It's very interesting.

Wow, thats pretty cool. You know Nintendo have got the balls to take a risk on this.

It would be so awesome if we got a next gen console like this...

Ultrasonic force feedback. Kickass, but I don't think it will ever be practical.

today you would not find that practical, but come on, somebody will find something to use that and amaze us all.

@ famousringo

Back in 2006 just one company found motion control practical, while everybody else was skeptical about it just like you.

I predict hologram gaming by 2016! Quote me!

You're lumping some very different technologies into the same basket. Motion control requires some extra microchips in a controller, ultrasonic feedback requires arrays of ultrasonic projectors to be mounted on ceilings and walls. Perhaps a single ultrasonic projector mounted on a turret which tracks the user could be viable, but it's still a lot of components for relatively little gain.

As for holographic video, it's already here if you install the right hardware on your PC. It's simply a matter of whether (or when) it can be made cheap enough and convenient enough to be integrated into home consoles.