It's not exactly Star Wars, but you can now buy a holographic display that can project 3D-looking images inside a glass box.
The product is called the Looking Glass, and it's small enough to sit on your desk. On Tuesday, the New York-based startup behind the upcoming device showed how the product can generate life-like objects inside the glass frame.
To create the illusion that you're looking at a 3D object, the holographic display projects 45 simultaneous views of the image. Each view depicts the same image, but from a different angle. So as your eyes move around the display, the object inside appears to do so too.
On top of all this, the device can project images at up to 60 frames per second. "The dream of the hologram is finally here," said Shawn Frayne, CEO of Looking Glass Factory, the startup behind the technology.
However, the product does have some limitations. The 3D images depicted can really only be viewed from the front of the device. You won't be able to see them from the side of the display or from the back.
The Looking Glass also isn't a standalone device. You'll have to hook it up to a Mac or PC preferably running at least an Intel i5 processor and an Nvidia GTX 1060 graphics card.
The other bad news is that you can't place your hand inside the glass box. But the product does support functionality to interact with the 3D images, virtually. Through an accessory such as a motion-detecting sensor or a game controller, you'll be able to pick, tug and rotate the images displayed inside.
As cool as the product is, the Looking Glass doesn't exactly have a large library of content to rely on. So the startup is advertising the device to designers and illustrators, who work in gaming, movies, and architecture. By owning the holographic display, they'll be able to see their projects come to life in 3D without the need for a virtual reality headset. Over the long-term, the startup plans to also the market the product for use in retail stores and at schools.
The Looking Glass is starting at $600. However, the company is offering the holographic display at $399 until tomorrow morning. You can pre-order it on the startup's Kickstarter page. It'll come in two sizes, one with an 8.9-inch display, the other at 15.6 inches, which will cost as much as $3,000.
The first 100 units will start shipping in Sept., with the rest to go out in December.