3D imaging is a popular Victorian mirror trick, but researchers at the University of Glasgow are elevating the technology that brought Tupac Shakur to life on stage in 2012.
When Tupac Shakur joined Dr. Dre on stage at the Coachella festival in 2012, the crowd was in awe, not only at the quality of the music, but because Shakur had been dead for 15 years.
Shakur’s presence on stage was a compelling holographic illusion. The ghostly Shakur’s base, as well as ABBA’s upcoming tour in 2022, which will feature holograms of the younger-looking bandmates, is a popular Victorian mirror trick. But now, thanks to researchers at the University of Glasgow, these illusions may be real enough to touch.
The team has invented a method of using air jets to simulate a tactile experience. They call the technology “aerohaptics” (“haptic” refers to the sense of touch). A motion sensor tracks the movement of the user’s hand as it interacts with a holographic object and directs a nozzle to release puffs of air onto the user’s fingers and palm. Until now, the Glasgow team has used aerohaptics to simulate the experience of ‘bouncing’ a virtual basketball: it pushes hard on the rounded surface of the ghostly ball and hits your hand hard on the way back; Gentle pressure results in a smoother feel when the ball bounces.
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Ravinder Dahiya, Ph.D. in electronics and nanoengineering. who leads the team, emphasizes the collaboration between our five senses; even drinking a beer is a tactile and gustatory experience. “If a beer doesn’t feel cold, you don’t really get the flavor; this is how the mind is trained, ”explains Dahiya. In addition to applications in video games and other forms of entertainment, aerohaptic technology could help colleagues shake hands in virtual meetings, or allow medical students to dissect virtual mice instead of real ones.
This article appears in print in the January 2022 issue of Maclean’s magazine with the title “Aerohaptics”. Subscribe to the monthly print magazine here.
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