This Ted talk on current work at MIT’s Media Lab takes us one step closer to what I have envisioned for a long time: Holographic mid-air projections from our I/O devices. Why do I need a wall to hang a screen on or project against? I just want it all in mid air.
Of course, as usual, the MIT folks have added all sorts of features that I hadn’t thought of, namely ways in which they detect the world they’re interacting with and provide context-relevant information…Rating and reviews of books as you browse the library or bookstore. Green ratings of the Towel Paper brands in the grocery store as it scans the packaging (not just the SKU) to recognize it. There’s a gestural language too: draw a watch on your wrist and see the time appear. In lots of places, there is a convenient surface to project on anyway, but just for completeness I’d like them to roll in the idea of holographic projections that could appear anywhere.
Call me when I can buy one at Costco.