The Leia display system projects holograms you can control with gestures

By Drew Prindle October 7, 2014

leia display system hologram generator

Futuristic tech is on a roll this week. First we caught word that NASA is experimenting with suspended animation to send astronauts to Mars, and now we’ve got reason to believe that Star Wars-style hologram tech might soon be in our living rooms. Science fiction is becoming science fact at an alarming rate these days

The Leia Display System (no doubt named after the infamous spacefaring princess portrayed by Carrie Fischer in the original Star Wars trilogy) is capable of projecting images into midair, and also allows the user to interact with these images via gesture controls.

Recommended Videos

To make this possible, the device first emits a thin wall of water vapor into the air. Without light, this wall is nearly invisible, but when hit with the beam of a projector, it serves as a semi-transparent canvas for the projected imagery. Then, with the help of a few motion tracking sensors and some special software, the system is able to recognize when an image is touched by a user, which allows the display to be grabbed, pinched, swiped, rotated, flicked, and manipulated with all sorts of Minority Report-style gestures. Check out the video to see it in action.

Related: Coachella resurrects Tupac for a 3D hologram performance

Truth be told, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this technology. Back in early 2013 a Russian company by the name of Displair brought a strikingly similar device to CES, and we played Fruit Ninja on it. Projecting interactive images onto water vapor isn’t exactly a new idea, but even so, it’s exciting to see the idea gaining ground.

Unlike Displair, Leia comes in two different sizes: 95cm x 65cm (roughly 37 inches by 25 inches) and 3m x 2.5m (around 10 foot by 8 foot). While it’s not quite on the market just yet, it appears that the smaller version will be targeted toward individual consumers, whereas the larger one will be aimed more toward businesses and other organizations.

We’ll keep you posted on availability, but in the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more, check out this video featuring creator Daniel Skutela.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…

Outdoors

The best portable power stations

EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Emerging Tech

CES 2023: HD Hyundai’s Avikus is an A.I. for autonomous boat and marine navigation

Demonstration of NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

This content was produced in partnership with HD Hyundai.
Autonomous vehicle navigation technology is certainly nothing new and has been in the works for the better part of a decade at this point. But one of the most common forms we see and hear about is the type used to control steering in road-based vehicles. That's not the only place where technology can make a huge difference. Autonomous driving systems can offer incredible benefits to boats and marine vehicles, too, which is precisely why HD Hyundai has unveiled its Avikus AI technology -- for marine and watercraft vehicles.

More recently, HD Hyundai participated in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to demo its NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system for recreational boats. The name mashes together the words "neuron" and "boat" and is quite fitting since the Avikus' A.I. navigation tech is a core component of the solution, it will handle self-recognition, real-time decisions, and controls when on the water. Of course, there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes with HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation solution, which we'll dive into below -- HD Hyundai will also be introducing more about the tech at CES 2023.

Computing

This AI cloned my voice using just three minutes of audio

acapela group voice cloning ad

There's a scene in Mission Impossible 3 that you might recall. In it, our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tackles the movie's villain, holds him at gunpoint, and forces him to read a bizarre series of sentences aloud.

"The pleasure of Busby's company is what I most enjoy," he reluctantly reads. "He put a tack on Miss Yancy's chair, and she called him a horrible boy. At the end of the month, he was flinging two kittens across the width of the room ..."