FUTURE OR PRESENT: FOCUS ON FASCINATING HOLOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGIES
Innovative media technology is one of the success factors for the presentation of products and services. Companies are always looking for new, exciting and sustainable ways to present their products and services to their target audience. In recent years, many things have changed and evolved or have been adopted. In this post, we would like to share some holographic techniques: Pepper's Ghost, 3D fans, transparent LED displays and HoloLens technology.
Pepper's Ghost is a long-established projection technique for holographic displays. It uses a high-resolution display (or a beamer in the case of a stage presentation) to project 3D content onto a specially coated disc. The image appears to float freely in space by being "refracted" in the disc and redirected into the space behind it. This technique, which used to be very costly, now offers affordable ways to create high-quality holographic effects. A major advantage of Pepper's Ghost is that real objects can be combined with digital content in a projection, allowing for unique and captivating displays. However, there are limitations to its use, such as its lack of outdoor capability in sunlight.
3D fans are based on a technique that makes images appear to float in the air. They use rapidly rotating LED blades to create an illusion that gives the impression of a holographic object. The advantage of 3D fans is that they look good from a distance. However, they are relatively coarse-pixelated and not true to color in their representations, which makes it difficult to communicate more complex content and details.
The risk of injury from the rotating blades should also be noted, which is why the fans should be placed in an enclosure and the wall should be black. However, the installation itself is quite simple, as the uploading of the 3D content is done via proprietary software. However, the integration of real objects is not possible.
Transparent displays can be produced in various sizes and shapes. The range of applications has expanded considerably here. Known from the advertising use for refrigerators, there are now also well thought-out systems for displaying people in their original size. These are marketed as holo-conference systems with a white illuminated large high box. In combination with the white-lit room, the spatial representation of people is amazingly good. Content of people can be created relatively simply via a green screen setup. It should be noted that the holo-person must move a lot in front of the camera, otherwise the spatial effect is rather poor. The use is limited by high costs and complex transport and setup.
The HoloLens augmented reality glasses enable virtual objects to be superimposed on the viewer's real view. The objects generated appear to the viewer as if they were actually in the field of vision.
This still sounds a bit like science fiction, but it is now reality - virtual reality. With Microsoft's HoloLens, 3D or 2D objects appear in the viewer's field of vision as if they were actually present in the real world. With HoloLens, Microsoft wants to redefine the way computers are operated.
Microsoft's HoloLens is primarily intended for certain, primarily professional applications. It is set up for a specific purpose and time period, for example, in engineering offices, for architects, in education, and of course in the entertainment gaming segment.
Summary and outlook: The world of holographic presentation systems offers fascinating opportunities to present content and ideas in an impressive and immersive way. Pepper's Ghost, 3D fans, transparent LED displays, and the HoloLens are just a few of the prominent techniques that have entered the market. Each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages, and choosing the right system depends on your specific needs and goals. Whether it's combining projections with real objects, displaying floating 3D objects or using transparent screens, holographic technologies offer a wide range of options for impressive presentations.
Apple recently presented the Vision Pro, Google the second prototype of a holo-phone cell called Starline. Several European mobile network operators are working together to offer holographic phone calls across networks.
The outlook is promising. Apple, Google and Co undoubtedly have the greatest potential to make the latest holographic AR technologies suitable for mass use. Two "construction sites" will determine success: First, whether the content is easy to create - a question of software, which is why there is a thumbs-up here. Secondly, whether the technology, i.e. the hardware, can be used conveniently, easily and variably everywhere - here the answer is a clear "yes". Certain hardware-related prerequisites will not be circumvented even by the industry leaders, and they will have to submit to the technical possibilities.