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'The Force Awakens' vinyl soundtrack is etched with holograms
If you haven't already emptied your savings account on Star Wars memorabilia, Disney is back to tempt you once more. Another version of The Force Awakens soundtrack is on the way as a two LP set that has 3D holograms etched onto the surface of the records. Of course, you'll need to find the proper viewing angle in order to catch a glimpse of the spinning illustrations of a TIE Fighter and the Millennium Falcon. Disney recommends that you just shine your phone's flashlight on the vinyl to reveal the animated artwork.
The creators of 'Doom' and 'Quake' reveal a new sci-fi shooter
John Romero and Adrian Carmack helped found id Software in 1991, and by 1993 the studio had changed the video game world forever. That's when id released Doom, a genre-defining first-person shooter, and it was followed by Quake, another classic FPS, in 1996. Today, Romero and Carmack are back with Blackroom, a new FPS set in a future where lifelike holographic reality is the norm, but it's being overrun with sinister visions. The game stars Dr. Santiago Sonora, an engineer at the massive holographic company, Hoxar, as he investigates irregularities in the Blackroom military training system.
HBO and Discovery make major investment in virtual reality
Virtual reality isn't just seeing a revival when it comes to gaming, immersive content is taking root in journalism, movies and television as well. In fact, two networks made an investment in a virtual and augmented reality company to help drive future production projects. OTOY, a company that makes cloud-based graphics software covering the capture, rendering and streaming of VR and AR content announced today that both HBO and Discovery are backing it "to create universal publishing platform for TV, movies and original holographic content." While holograms are mentioned throughout the press release, VR and AR factor heavily into the networks' plans.
The Notorious B.I.G. might be going on tour in hologram form
ARHT (Augmented Reality Holographic Technology) Media announced on Monday that it has acquired the digital rights to Biggie Smalls' likeness and will resurrect the famed rapper as a hologram. He (it?) is expected to appear in a new music video before potentially going on tour. "What we're gonna start with is a video with the first single from [Faith Evan's upcoming duets compilation] The King & I then I think Faith wants to do a little tour," ARHT Media founder Rene Bharti told Billboard.
HoloLens TED Talk shows what augmented reality can do
If you think you have a sense of what Microsoft's HoloLens headset can do, you're in for a pleasant surprise. The company's Alex Kipman recently presented a TED Talk on HoloLens that included multiple fresh demos illustrating Kipman's vision of an augmented reality future. He showed off virtual caves and forests, and a space where you could watch TV at one moment and talk to family in the next. The highlight, however, comes near the end: Kipman talks to an avatar of NASA's Jeffrey Norris standing on a recreation of Mars. Suddenly, Star Wars' holograms aren't so far-fetched.
Mitsubishi is working on a floating display
While it's not the 3D Star Wars hologram you're hoping for, Mitsubishi is developing a system to project video in mid-air, which it hopes to commercialize in time for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. To pull it off, the company is using two types of optical tech: a beam splitter, which divides incoming photons into reflected and transmitted light, and a retro-reflective sheet that bounces light back in exactly the same direction it came from. By arranging them just so with a display (below), the light reconverges to form an image that appears to float in the air.
Microsoft wants to make your dream HoloLens app
Think you have a really good idea for a HoloLens app? Microsoft might just help you build it. The tech giant has launched a Share Your Idea challenge that asks developers to submit their holographic app concepts by January 11th. It'll put the three most "viable" (that is, both good and realistic) ideas to a vote on Twitter, and will build the winner itself. You'll still have to devote some time to the app afterwards if you're successful -- you'll sit in for code reviews and Q&A sessions -- but this should be much easier than writing augmented reality software from scratch.
Researchers claim they've built the first 3D color hologram
Princess Leia was apparently indisposed, but Korean researchers are laying claim to the world's first 360-degree color hologram -- a floating Rubik's cube. A 16-company consortium called ETRI, led by LG Display division, has created "tabletop holographic display" that can be viewed from all angles. According to ET News, it's a true hologram and not a "pseudo hologram that make[s] 3D effects through 2D images." In other words, it's not a "Pepper's Ghost" illusion famously used for the Tupac hologram. Since the view changes when you move around it -- as if it were a real object -- it also differs from "floating 3D-movie" type holograms.
ICYMI: Holograms you can touch, holiday light tech and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-372305{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-372305, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-372305{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-372305").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: In hologram innovation that has nothing to do with Tupac, some Japanese scientists created a "Fairy Lights" system that can be manipulated with your fingers in a so-far subtle way. Holiday light warriors will want to hear about this Kickstarter campaign for a more permanent light solution that can be hung just once, then controlled with an app to adjust lights all year long for special events. And in case you can't get enough light news, you'll also want to see this LED clutch that's on Kickstarter now. It comes with a host of potential pixel art in its app and is ready for you to take on the town.
Virtual pop star Hatsune Miku will tour North America in 2016
Hatsune Miku may have started out as the humble Mascot for a music production software suite, but today she's a bonafide pop star -- and she's about to embark on her first multi-state US tour. Yes, it's a little weird if you think about it too much, but it's happening: starting in April, Miku Expo will be touring Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto and New York, with other possible cities to be revealed later.
Comedians Andy Kaufman and Redd Foxx will return as holograms
Holographic (really, "Pepper's Ghost") versions of dead musicians have proven successful, so why not comedians from days gone by? Hologram USA doesn't think that's a bad idea, at least. The tech firm has revealed that it's producing visual resurrections of legendary comedians Andy Kaufman and Redd Foxx that will go on tour in 2016. Hologram USA says the estates of both celebs are collaborating to make this an "authentic experience," although it's not clear exactly what that means.
Microsoft HoloLens reaches developers in early 2016 for $3,000
Microsoft has been answering a lot of questions about HoloLens as of late, but a few questions have remained: When can you get it? And will you need to mortgage your home to get one? Well, those mysteries have been solved... if you're a programmer. The crew in Redmond has revealed that a Development Edition of its holographic computing headset will launch in the first quarter of 2016 for $3,000. That's not a completely outlandish price tag, but it's safe to say that you won't be getting this early HoloLens purely for kicks -- this is to help prepare apps for the eventual mainstream version of the device. Still, it's good to hear that this exotic wearable tech won't be limited to Microsoft's campus for much longer. Get all the news from today's Microsoft event right here.
Google wants Glass-like headsets with holographic displays
Google Glass (aka Project Aura), as cool as it is, isn't very immersive: you're still looking at flat pictures superimposed on a 3D world. You may see some added depth in the future, though. Google has filed for a patent on a "head wearable display" that would show holograms. The hope is that this would create an augmented reality experience that's more involving than what you get today, including a wider field of view and a more efficient, easier-to-wear headset.
Whitney Houston is your next 'holographic' touring celebrity
It's may be slightly creepy that we've fallen into a habit of "resurrecting" dead celebrities with a mix of computer graphics and ancient stage trick known as "Pepper's Ghost," but that's the reality we live in. Now, Hologram USA, the company that brought Tupac's likeness to Coachella in 2012, is bringing back another celebrated performer: Whitney Houston. "It's a great opportunity for her fans to see a reinvention of one the most celebrated female artists in history," says Pat Houston, sister-in-law to Whitney and executive of the star's estate. "I'm looking forward to the partnership."
ICYMI: Keurig-like cocktails, handmade holograms and more
try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414").style.display="none";}catch(e){} #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-101414").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We break down the lazy man's cocktail machine, filling your bellies with machine-crafted designer drinks for your boozehound friends. An Australian stunt rider rigged a dirtbike to surf the ocean and the video is pretty astounding. And while you wait for Microsoft's HoloLens, you can make a DIY hologram display with little more than a CD jewel case. Doesn't everyone have about 20 of them in the corners of cabinets, no matter how many you swear you've recycled?
Police think even a holographic Chief Keef concert is too risky
Midwestern authorities really don't like Chief Keef -- there are warrants for his arrest in the region, while Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has gone so far as to say the young man "promotes violence" when he performs. And apparently, that public safety concern also covers virtual performances. Police in Hammond, Indiana shut down a surprise holographic Keef concert (technically, a Pepper's Ghost trick) this weekend despite the flesh-and-bone star being 2,000 miles away in Beverly Hills, California. Officials had warned that they would clamp down if they saw Keef play, but a festival promoter argues that they didn't have a "real reason" why a hologram wasn't allowed -- especially since the musician was fundraising for victims of violence.
Tabletop display turns your phone's images into 3D holograms (updated)
If you've ever thought that the apps and videos on your phone were flat and lifeless, H+ might have an answer. It's crowdfunding the Holus, a tabletop display that turns 2D content from phones and PCs into 3D holograms that you can see from any direction. All you do is plug in -- after that, you can play virtual board games, educational titles and any other app with support for the extra immersion. There's even motion tracking that will make sure content follows you when you wander around. H+ hopes that Holus will revive the lost art of real-life get-togethers without making you revert to that Monopoly game gathering dust in your closet. That's a bit optimistic (as are the impossibly high-quality promo shots), but it's hard to deny the allure of a living room holographic display that you don't have to wear.
Chill out with this 'holographic' virtual aquarium
There's something inexplicably tranquil about gazing at fish in an aquarium as they swim back and forth, darting about rocks or that tacky plastic treasure chest sitting in the corner. But what if you could have one on your desk, without all the water changes, filter cleaning and general maintenance? That's probably a ways off, but Memukhin Oleg's "Fishing Day" explores such a (not entirely virtual) reality. As you'll see in the video below from The Creators Project, he's used a handful of different 3D modeling techniques to bring artificial fishies to life. They react to a handheld submarine, schooling and separating as they might in the real world, flitting through a gaudy shipwreck you'd find at a pet store's aquarium aisle. It's all really, really impressive and there's even a breakdown of how the effects shot came together. The only bad part? The video's a bit on the short side.
Holograms replace people in Spanish protests
Spain's imminent Citizen Safety Law isn't exactly protester-friendly -- you can face stiff fines just for daring to disobey police peacefully, let alone holding a protest without telling the government. The activists of Hologramas por la Libertad have found a clever workaround for that, however. As the name suggests, they're using holographic protesters to challenge the new legal restrictions. People worldwide were invited to record video (or text and voice, if they preferred) that would be converted into holograms marching in front of the Spanish Parliament. If you aren't allowed to protest in person, the movement argues, you can still protest as an optical illusion.
Microsoft isn't saying much about what's inside HoloLens
Without a doubt, the biggest surprise from today's Windows 10 keynote at Microsoft's Redmond campus was the outfit unveiling its HoloLens headset. Dubbed as the "first fully untethered, holographic computer" the device and its capabilities looked pretty neat -- if a little fantastical -- onstage when Alex Kipman showed it off. But for all his talk about breaking down the walls between technology and people, there are a surprising amount of them around exactly what the device is packing under the hood. We asked every person at the event that we could (developers, public relations folks, engineers) about the specs of the dev kit we tried, and were shot down at every turn. No one would give a single, concrete detail. So let's break down what was said during the stage demo (embedded below) and what Microsoft has released via the HoloLens website instead, shall we?
