Researchers have created a hologram that you can see, hear, and touch

Researchers from the University of Sussex have created the closest thing yet to a real, live holodeck.

A piece from Gizmodo highlights the device, which uses two arrays of tiny ultrasonic speakers to manipulate soundwaves and move a small, lightweight reflective object in midair, which is then lit by LED projectors. In a demonstration video, you can see how moving the small object very quickly, faster than humans can perceive, generates “persistence of vision”. Additionally, the ultrasonic speakers can also generate a kind of tactile feedback using the same ultrasonic speakers. And, of course, the speakers can also produce sound while levitating the small object, in this case, a tiny styrofoam ball, so the end effect is of a hologram that you can see, “touch” and hear all at once. The hologram can also be observed from any angle, a limitation of many other current holographic systems.

The research was originally published in the science journal Nature. In the study, the team of researchers notes that the system offers “particle manipulation capabilities superior to those of other optical or acoustic approaches demonstrated until now.” And they don’t just see the system as a neat fun thing to entertain people with. They say, “In addition, our technique offers opportunities for non-contact, high-speed manipulation of matter, with applications in computational fabrication and biomedicine.”

You can view the demonstration video on YouTube now.