Holograms get physical as Scots create a touch of the future

Hyper-realistic robots and avatars may still only be the stuff of science fiction TV series and blockbusters but scientists at Glasgow University have brought futuristic technology one step closer to reality by creating holograms that users can physically touch and feel.

The university’s Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) research group has developed a system of holograms of people using a technique called “aerohaptics”, which uses jets of air to deliver the sensation of touch on people’s fingers, hands and wrists.

Professor Ravinder Dahiya, who leads BEST, says the technology could eventually allow doctors to remotely assess patients, or remove the need for the dissection of animals in labs. There are also implications for the entertainment industry as, rather than sitting on one side of a 2D screen, movie audiences would be able to see, feel and touch images.

Dahiya said: “In 3D, you can display virtual replicas of real objects, but the missing component is that you cannot actually feel them.

“You can see the objects, but you can’t have the touch-based feedback like you would with real objects. We have introduced that through aerohaptics technology.

“We are already looking into adding additional functionality to the system, such as adding temperature control to their airflow to deepen the sensation of interacting with hot or cool objects.

“It seems very sci-fi but the way technology is emerging, you don’t feel like it’s difficult to achieve. We used to see robots in movies and think, ‘Oh that will never happen’, but we have robots with us now, and they are part of our lives in different shapes.

“There are already some videos that show people controlling robotic limbs using their brain via a skull cap. That has not been used on virtual objects – holograms are a separate study – but it is just a question of bringing them together.

“I would say, five to 10 years down the line, we should be seeing these things coming to life.”

Although the technology and related research, published at the end of last year, is still only at the academic stage, Dahiya admits using such interactive displays could work well with current digital afterlife technology.

He said: “Staying at the edge of the technology is always exciting. I hadn’t thought about using volumetric display holograms for the digital afterlife, but it’s a very attractive proposition.”