Projovian demonstrates 3D crystal photo frame

We'll be straight with ya, Projovian's latest cubic device may have garnered rad points as a prop in a first wave MC Hammer video, but unfortunately, it falls squarely on the chintzy side of things today. Adding legitimacy to the 3D gimmick stereotype, this curious "digital photo frame" takes numerous pictures at different angles simultaneously, and subsequently presents a pseudo-3D image on the crystal stand. Of course, we'd recommend just hacking your webcam to accomplish the same thing on screen with even more detail, but feel free to hop past the jump to take a closer look at this rendition if you wish.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 4:43AM]

Erm, hasn't this already been out for quite some time? I know it has over here in the UK, even in most parts of Europe.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 4:52AM]

Yeah, these are oooold news. I had a pre-christmas job making these back in 2004, at which point, they had been around in France for at least a year or two already.

They're not pseudo-3D images, they're blocks of chrystal glass inside of which they laser-burn hundreds of thousands of tiny pin-pricks inside to make up an actually three-dimensional model of whatever they took a picture of. You can make your own models to burn in 3D Studio Max as well and then import them into the software that calculates the little dots. That way, I was able to make a friend of mine an awesome Christmas present with his company's logo in it in full 3D.

I could go further into the technology of it, but I'm sure it's on Wikipedia or something like that, so I'd probably be wasting my time and yours.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 9th 2007 12:24AM]

I had my first brush with this in the pre X'mas hols of 2003 at Zurich HB, Switzerland!

[Richard Posted Jun 8th 2007 6:16AM]

This might actually be something new though, as in converting a few photos of a person into a 3D layer.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 6:17AM]

Wait... Is this realtime? If not it's VERY old like the posters above say. Almost 7 years old

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 8:22AM]

Sounds a little Mickey Mouse to me....
http://www.oniro-crystals.co.uk/pop-culture-disney.htm

Saw similar items all over Disney World last week...

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 8:44AM]

saw this at Disney World (Epcot, to be exact) way back when in 2004. This is OOOOOOOOLD news.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 11:51AM]

I've seen the blocks w/ 3D images for sale for a while. But, I've never seen any place you can go get your 3D head put in one right there while you wait. That seems new to me and I think it would sell. I would buy one.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 1:01PM]

They have this in madame tussauds in London. It costs about £30 or £40 sterling. They take a pic and then use the laser to burn it in a cube.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 12:27PM]

Sounds like somthing that i will be intrested in doing for buissnes . tell me how.
David

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 7:55PM]

I don't get it, Engadget, this have been sold on wal-mart since like a decade ago... they take pics of you and then print the cube with lasers... hardly any news at all.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 8th 2007 8:26PM]

perhaps the new technology is that its rendered in real time

that arguably you can edit a picture and it will show up on the 3d frame right after you edit it?