In a breakthrough that may change post-mortem 2Pac concerts for the rest of time, Japanese scientists have created a machine that clones objects into holographic images that people can actually touch. Thus rendering all of Star Wars’ and in general science fiction’s greatest tropes out of date and behind the times. Imagine it: “Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope,” and then Obi Wan kind of pushes Princess Leia over gently with his finger.
That’s the type of interaction you can have thanks to Haptoclone, which was developed at the University of Tokyo and could have a major impact on the world as we know it. The way it works for the user is simple – place an object in one box, and a hologram of the object appears in another box. You can gently touch the hologram and it will react to your touch, which you can feel.
Motherboard and Gizmodo reporters tried the Haptoclone with differing results. Touching a beach ball, the Gizmodo reporter said they could feel the plastic. When the Motherboard reporter tried touching someone’s hand, it felt tingly.Both of their accounts are definitely worth clicking.
And yes, this device is giving off ultrasonic radiation, but it’s currently safe, and just imagine the real applications in the future. Not just speaking with and seeing loved ones over a Skype call, but touching them. Or more importantly, think of how cool gaming will get? Moore’s Law is proving to be true once again, with each new day, a major leap in scientific technologies are gracing us with increased frequency.
Next stop, the singularity.
(Via QZ)