Forward-looking: A team of scientists has successfully demonstrated the world’s first interactive 3D holographic display, enabling users to physically interact with virtual light projections. If commercialized, this technology could be immensely useful in education – just to name one example.

As New Atlas explains, traditional holograms are created using swept volumetric displays. Images are projected at varying heights onto a rigid oscillating surface known as a diffuser at a rate of around three thousand times per second. This setup produces the appearance of a 3D object suspended in space without the need for special 3D glasses.

The problem, as it relates to haptics, is the oscillating surface. The moment you try to touch it, the illusion fails and you’re likely to break the contraption – or worse, lose a finger.

To get around this, a group of scientists led by Dr. Elodie Bouzbib at the Public University of Navarra replaced the rigid oscillating surface with one made of elastic strips. This soft, stretchy material causes no bodily injury when touched – in fact, touch is the whole point.

With the setup, it is possible to interact with 3D holograms using familiar gestures like pinching and rotating, just as you would on a smartphone’s 2D display. Image correction is used to ensure the visual retains an accurate appearance when manipulated.

In testing, most of the 18 participants said they preferred the hands-on method over using a 3D mouse to interact with holograms. Touch felt more accurate and natural compared to the mouse, they noted.

More work is needed to perfect the setup, but it’s a promising start with plenty of potential applications. For example, the tech could come in handy in the classroom or in museums to allow guests to easily interact with an exhibit.

A paper on the subject titled, “FlexiVol: a Volumetric Display with an Elastic Diffuser to Enable Reach-Through Interaction,” has been published on HAL. There’s also a detailed explainer video on YouTube. The team plans to showcase their findings at the CHI 2025 Conference later this month in Japan.

Image credit: Andre Moura