Tetris played in 3D... on 9000-droplet-per-second liquid projection TV (video)

Sure, we've seen Tetris pop up in unusual places before, but never on a liquid 3DTV. While rows of droplets don't actually create the image here -- it's merely "painted" onto the falling H2O pixels -- computer-controlled solenoid valves can cycle 50-droplet curtains of water at up to 60Hz, making for a video-capable projector screen. See it in action after the break, or hit up the source link for a deep dive into how it works.

[mbg19 Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:08PM]

Ahhhhh the good times with Tetris

[manofchao5 Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:13PM]

@mbg19
now that is a reason to have a waterfall in hotels and resorts!

[JonnyB Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:13PM]

@mbg19 :o

[TestSubjectNameHere Posted Jul 4th 2010 9:22PM]

@mbg19

Was it Over 9000 Droplet?

[One Love Posted Jul 4th 2010 9:23PM]

@mbg19 : Now I can really shower my self with porn. :)

[Inkopa Posted Jul 5th 2010 6:43AM]

If they made a dozen more layers, they could have a 3D display!

[s2m0 Posted Jul 5th 2010 9:20AM]

@mbg19 While it's neat and all, once I saw there was a projector in use, a hell of a "duh" factor set in.

[mpressive36 Posted Jul 5th 2010 4:09PM]

@One Love
Not until they get the droplets to near hd baby

[engadgetcomexcludeengadget Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:11PM]

Wow, that must have really accurate timing. Maybe I can make a movie in holograms now, though I'm not sure how you would go about recording something like that.

[vishal1082 Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:14PM]

pew pew pew

[sergery Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:26PM]

@vishal1082
Drip drip drip

[vishal1082 Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:31PM]

@sergery yar yar yar, you are a pirate

[That guy 2 Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:15PM]

This is really cool, how do they get it to project on each of the 3 layers differently? Cool idea though

[pintonion Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:20PM]

@That guy 2

watch the video.

Serisouly, do you guys bother reading the article or following links before commenting?

[Shannighan Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:22PM]

@That guy 2 watch the first half of the movie.

[windows4ever Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:28PM]

@That guy 2
by droping each row of water 1 by 1 and synchronizing the projector with the water drops so that the pixels from the projector only light up 1 row (or part of a row). and by repeating this on all 3 row's really quickly you get the desired effect.
as a guess the projector is a 3d projector 'cause you need the refreash rate

[That guy 2 Posted Jul 4th 2010 9:06PM]

@pintonion I watched the video but I didn't bother paying attention much, it was a bit confusing, but mostly too slow for me, but what the last guy said was basically what I had guessed

[windows4ever Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:18PM]

AWSOME
I wan't one!!!

[sergery Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:24PM]

drip drip drip

[KeegdnaB Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:34PM]

The "illuminating individual drops" part is cool but I think it's just an unnecassary extra element to the same water projection tech Disney's been using for years for Fantasmic and recently just took to riduculous levels in their new World of Color show. See --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o0Icz6ExiM

[Jacinth Posted Jul 4th 2010 10:09PM]

@KeegdnaB

But if you looked, these guys are showing three different things from one projector.

[kevino025 Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:37PM]

Damn holograms are more closer than what I though, can't till this thing get more and more advanced, then we will see xbox 360 hologram mode?

[Ignoramus Posted Jul 4th 2010 9:23PM]

@kevino025 This isnt photons and forcefields, its photons and water, hence, watergram :p

[DoctarPeppar Posted Jul 4th 2010 9:46PM]

@Ignoramus
Unfortunately this isn't even close to a real volumetric display \ holodeck -- but it's still pretty cool I guess. But yeah, ppl have had this tech for years.

[Happy Posted Jul 4th 2010 10:42PM]

@kevino025 Hologram tech is very old. When I was around 10 years old, maybe alittle older, a local arcade I always went to had a hologram game. I'm 31 now. It wasn't true Holography though, but it was still a form of it.

True Holography is an image being projected in the air, not on a surface of any kind.

Here is the history of Holography.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography#Overview_and_history

[simbr Posted Jul 5th 2010 9:25AM]

@Happy
This one? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Traveler_(video_game)

[Massive Poop Posted Jul 4th 2010 8:46PM]

The video is fawkin interesting. Coolest thing I've seen today.

[TestSubjectNameHere Posted Jul 4th 2010 9:24PM]

OVER 9000 Water Droplets!

[jordanbiffle Posted Jul 4th 2010 9:24PM]

Coming soon to a Las Vegas casino.

[Zer0fluX Posted Jul 4th 2010 9:37PM]

It's cool... but pointless.

[leafflash Posted Jul 4th 2010 11:16PM]

@Zer0fluX Not pointless! This technology can be refined to the point of real-world holographic imagery. At least Star Wars quality holograms anyways.

[Mattemer Posted Jul 4th 2010 10:00PM]

When do we get 3d Wet Pacman???

[reallynotnick Posted Jul 4th 2010 10:06PM]

Screw 3D glasses, watergrams all the way!

[Nilithius Posted Jul 4th 2010 10:25PM]

*starts humming Tetris theme*

[klinbest Posted Jul 4th 2010 11:29PM]

Matrix!!!

[Stormstrike Posted Jul 4th 2010 11:34PM]

Hmm...might be a stupid question but what is the purpose of this ?

I mean, there are fully transparent screens. Why not use 3 or 10 or whatever amount of them instead ?

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/10/28/lg-shows-off-their-new-15-inch-transparent-amoled-monitor/

Except of course this was just an idea and someone tried to see if it works. I think it might have some potential if refined appropriately...

[Lord Humongous Posted Jul 4th 2010 11:39PM]

they never showed any video of what it looked like from the viewers point of view, only from the sides.

[Tuck84 Posted Jul 5th 2010 4:54AM]

@Lord Humongous The projector was projecting from head on and precisely calibrated, they probably didn't want to bump it.

[NeatOman Posted Jul 5th 2010 12:54AM]

@Sean Hollister Thats cool... But i hope u cached the fireworks, a bit better IMO :) happy 4th if ur in central time.

And remember! not only is it the day of independence from Britain, but from any one person on earth but God and the rights of others given to them by God as so do you.

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...."

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

[Grubasaurus Rex Posted Jul 5th 2010 12:57AM]

This is so cool.

[atc9000 Posted Jul 5th 2010 1:58AM]

I know I would not been able to have one in my living room. all that running water sounds. I would spend more time taking a piss than been able to watch it... god i'm old.....

[Fernando Martinez Posted Jul 5th 2010 2:50AM]

Awesome technology, can't wait to have this in my livingroom! =)

[jappleng Posted Jul 5th 2010 3:51AM]

Someone needs to create a modulator or a sensor that converts the dropping of the water into sound and music.

[spyder Posted Jul 5th 2010 9:23AM]

this isn't 3D, this is 6D.. ;D

3x 2D layers does not make for 3D space.

[simbr Posted Jul 5th 2010 9:31AM]

@spyder
The video itself does call it "2.5D".

[peepeeland Posted Jul 5th 2010 11:02AM]

Tetris..... FOREVER!!!

[DrScope Posted Jul 7th 2010 3:04PM]

Finally a viewing method that can't show an Obama speech! :D