iPad holography: Aircord Lab - N-3D

Japanese enterprise Aircord Lab introduces three-dimensional display N-3D - an ensemble consisting of an iPad and a pyramid shaped screen. The iPad literally serves as an over head projector separately screening three angles of an image and projecting each of them onto one side of the semi-reflective surface of the pyramid. The observer can peer right through the pyramid, while it reflects the image screened by the iPad above. By each slab of glass reflecting a different rendering, the observer gets the illusion of an three-dimensional image becoming visible to the naked eye. Using the built-in microphone an installed application changes the image in response to sound.

Aircord Lab - N-3D

Futurama: Holo Chess

The following snippet was forgotten to be attached to the previous entry and should not be kept back. Here comes an amusing one taken form Futurama referring to the Futureworld holo chess scene.

Futurama (1999)

Westworld / Futureworld: Holo Chess

In 1973 Sci-Fi movie Westworld comes on-screen - as first movie directing of bestseller author Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park). It is about holiday theme park DELOS which promises to give the illusion of spending ones vacation in a real western, medieval or roman world. These three areas are exact replicas of the particular ages. With android actors. Visitors can do whatever they want to without the fear of getting harmed - sexual intercourse and even murder. But one day the robots get sick and start attacking guests.

Westworld (1973)

Ten years after the first viewable three-dimensional hologram being generated, the imagination of a virtual-reality does not include a holographic imitation of the real world. The virtual-reality consists of physical buildings with physical robots, that have to be repaired when shot by one of the visitors.

Westworld (1973)

Three years later comes sequel Futureworld - same year as Logan's Run is out. After the catastrophe caused by robot attacks Westworld is closed and substituted by a futuristic virtual world. News reporter Chuck Browning and TV presenter Tracy Ballard are invited by Head of DELOS Dr. Duffy to report about the reopening. After some investigations they find out Dr. Duffy killing important personalities and substitutes them by self-bred doppelgänger to attain world power.

Only in the second part of Sci-Fi double Westworld/Futureworld holography is given a minor role - as holo chess.

Futureworld (1976)

Holo chess in this scene is not recognizable as a synthetic generated holographic board game. For Dr. Duffy would not have mentioned, spectators wouldn't know. Of cause he is not right. A hologram is not an optical illusion. A hologram is an exact reconstruction of a lightwave pattern reflected by a real object.

Viewing Westworld and Futureworld it seems that for at least one decade holography can not contribute to virtual-reality. Obviously there isn't yet an imagination of how to use application of holography besides three-dimensional images in art.

Here is a snippet taken from Futurama referring to Futureworld.

Logan's Run

For it is mentioned in a recent entry, the opportunity should be taken to introduce Logan's Run from 1976. The science fiction movie is based on the same-titled novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson in 1967 and is an example for an early use of a hologram in a movie.

In the 23rd century people live in a seemingly paradise trapped under a glass dome, not knowing what is outside. Apparently there is no way out. Under drugs and hallucinogen living a life of sexual laxity most people are not interested of gettig out and knowing what is going on in the outside world. Almost everyone believes in a ritual called renewal, sort of a reincarnation. No one is allowed getting older than 30. A lifeclock - a crystalline device, which changes its colour as a person ages - is implanted in the palm of everyones hand. When on a person's 30th birthday the crystal starts to blink and finally gets black, everyone has to visit the Carousle, which promises a reincarnation on a higher plane of consciousness. But in fact they get killed. There's a legend that there is a place outside the glass dome called Sanctuary. But no one really knows. Few people philosophize about Sanctuary in hidden places and try to escape. These called Runners are haunted by Sandmans of which Logan 5 is one. His job is to find Sanctuary - for it exist - and destroy. He contacts a group of Runners. To make his identiy more credible, his lifeclock is set ahead to his 30th birthday. Logan 5 gets to know Jessica 6 who gets him access to a secret Runner's meeting. But instead of executing her, he helps her to escape. Together the find savaged places where Sanctuary is expected. They meet a very old man far beyond the age 30 and they destroy roboter BOX which froze thousands of other Runners. They realize that the age limit of their society is arbitrary to avoid over population within the glass dome. Returning to tell the people what they found out, they get caught by other Sandmans. Logan 5 is getting interrogated. For his testimony that there is just ruins and wilderness where Sanctuary is expected and that BOX froze thousands of Runners contradicts the calculations of the computer that watches all over the glass dome, it stars its automatic self-destruction.

The attached snippet shows the scene of Logan 5's interrogation.

Logan's Run (1976)

During the interrogation Logan 5's brain is separated into six pieces. Each facsimile acts independently of each other and answers individual questions.

This revolutionary screen technique is seen as a forerunner of the movies and TV entertainment of the future.

Actor Michael York (Logan 5) becomes the first film star performing a hologram.

In 1977 Logan's Run is awarded with the Oscar Special Achievement Award for best visual effects.

Fahrenheit 451

As announced in entry about Wild Palms, this one would like to introduce an earlier idea of futuristic TV virtual-reality using the example of dystopian science-fiction movie Fahrenheit 451 from 1966 by director François Truffaut, which is based on same-titled novel by Ray Bradbury from 1953. The title referes to the temperature at which paper catches fire. 451 degrees Fahrenheit is about 233 degrees Celsius.

Guy Montag is a fireman. But unlike an usual fireman, his job is not to fight fire, but to burn books, which are forbidden in the story. He is married to Linda, who is prosperous by consuming meds and TV shows. Montag gets to know young teacher Clarisse and falls in love with her. She is not allowed to teach any longer, because she is a passionate books reader. Montag becomes curious and starts reading books secretly.

Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

Like the snippets taken from Wild Palms, this one also shows a futuristic vision of TV virtual-reality. But with a significant difference. While in Wild Palms a holographic projection right in the living room provides the illusion of being part of the TV show, Fahrenheit 451 contents itself with a set of two-dimensional parlor wall screens, for giving the illusion of having your own family around you.

Fahrenheit 451 is brought to the cinemas three years after Emmett Leith and Yuri Upatnieks generate the first three dimensional image. So the idea of projecting a virtual image right into the air can be assumed as known. But it isn't used in Fahrenheit 451 even it would have been a good opportunity and would have made sense to do. This could of course be because of production reasons, for it could last several months or even years to produce a movie, or for it is just to expensive. Despite it is astonishing that it lasts another ten years until holography finds its way to movie. In 1976 one the first holographic images in a movie is used in Logan's Run. Even it is not used to generate a virtual-reality as it is done in Wild Palms to give the illusion of being part of another reality. It seems that Fahrenheit 451 can be read as an example of phantasms and ideas reaching conscious with a delay. Further questions result from this observation: Why does it last more than ten years until holography conquers phantasm space of movie? And when is it first used to generate a virtual-reality that can be felt, touched and experienced?