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 Using femtosecond laser technology the researchers developed
'Fairy Lights, a system that can fire high frequency laser pulses
that last one millionth of one billionth of a second.
The pulses respond to human touch, so that - when interrupted - the
hologram's pixels can be manipulated in mid-air.
The touchable hologram, which is being experimented with at the
Utsunomiya University Center for Optical Research and Education,
uses a laser provided by the university to the researchers.
One of the leading researchers of the experiment, Dr Yoichi Ochiai
of Tsukuba University, believes this technology could be used for
purposes including entertainment, medicine, and architecture. He
says that the current state of light technology doesn't allow humans
to proactively interact and feel light as matter, but the 'touchable
hologram' has the potential to change that.
"You can't actually feel the videos or pictures, and although you
can project a video, you can't interact with it by touching it. So,
if we can project an image in a three dimensional form, and if you
can touch it, then you can make something where you'll think that
there actually is something there," Ochiai said.
"People's daily lives would change if we use a bigger laser in a
bigger space where people can interact with it, and to see how it
can be used in situations where three dimensional communication is
necessary such as a construction site or in the medical field," he
added.
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According to science website Pulse Headlines, further development
might eventually make it possible to create a computer keyboard made
of light beamed onto a person's lap or allow video chat users to
experience the virtual touch of the person with whom they are
communicating.
The website says that the technology to create touchable holograms
has previously been demonstrated, but that laser beams used to
generate them burned human skin.
Ochiai's fellow researchers are Kota Kumagai, Satoshi Hasegawa, and
Yoshio Hayasaki from Utsunomiya University, Takayuki Hoshi from the
Nagoya Institute of Technology, and Jun Rekimoto from The University
of Tokyo.
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