A Tiny Holographic Display Is a Futuristic Way to Waste $1,000

The Volume holographic projector is a neat concept, but it can't compete with current 3D devices.

Volume Hologram Machine
Looking Glass

If you have too much money and have run out of things to spend it on, maybe consider buying this tiny holographic projector. The projector, called Volume, is made by Looking Glass and is currently on preorder for $1000. After the preorder, it will retail for more than twice that.

Volume uses some pretty revolutionary technology that projects 3D images that you can view from any angle without any 3D glasses. The technology, called lightfolding, can suspend points of light in a 3D space, meaning looking at a 3D image is a pretty similar experience to looking at a real object.

It's a neat technology, but unfortunately it's about a couple decades underdeveloped. Currently, the device's display is less than a foot wide, and only contains about 2 million pixels. For reference, a typical 1080p display also has around 2 million pixels, but with Volume, they'll have to be spread out over an additional dimension. As a result, any 3D image produced by Volume will be small and very grainy.

Volume is intended for developers and very early adopters, but it's unlikely library of things worth watching on it will ever be large enough to justify the purchase. Looking Glass says the device will last for 17 years, and by that time maybe holographic technology will be more useful. Until then, you're better off spending your money on a 4K TV—maybe even a 3D one, if that means so much to you—which costs less money will give you a much better viewing experience.

Source: Looking Glass via Engadget

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