The Geeks of the 80’s and 90’s are now ruling the world. (But that’s no surprise, right?!) And yet, we still find ourselves sorely lacking many of the technologies that were taken for granted 30 years ago. In the movie 2010, trips to Jupiter were no big deal, but here it is the twilight of the real 2010 and we haven’t even been past the moon! The moon!! We landed there 40 years ago!! C’mon people!

3D movies are making a big come back, but the technology is so 1950. What happened to real 3D movies?! You know, immersive, holographic images that you can walk around or even through?! Remember the “Jaws 19” bill board in “Back to the Future 2” that reached out and ate Marty McFly? And of course, the hologram in the dreams of all children of the 80’s, Princess Leia’s plea to Obi-Wan.

I remember the euphoric, chills-and-goose-bumps experience when I saw the first holographic video game (Time Traveler). Yes! Are real live holographic video game that you could put your hand into! Who cares if the game itself sucked? There was a six inch tall cowboy hologram walking around that shiny black table!! That was 1991. Can you imagine the crushing despair I would have felt if, at that moment, you had told me it would also be the last holographic video game?

Well. There may be hope after all.

The scientists at the University of Arizona say their prototype “holographic three-dimensional telepresence” is the world’s first practical 3D transmission system that works without requiring viewers to wear special glasses or other devices.
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The heart of the system is a new “photographic” polymer. … A 3D image is recorded with an array of cameras … and is then encoded digitally in a fast-pulsed laser beam, which creates holographic pixels or “hogels” in the polymer. The image itself results from an optical interference pattern between two laser beams.

Lasers and polymers and holograms, OH MY!!

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