Nokia and Intel have announced they are collaborating on 3D holographic projectors for phones, a new technology that could make the Motorola Droid 2 even more R2-D2 like. It may sound far-fetched but the planned three year research intends to create a device that can project an image much like the hologram of Princess Leia in the first Star Wars movie. Roughly two dozen R&D experts will be employed by Nokia and Intel at the University of Oulu in Finland.
The main goal of the research is to develop new ways of using increasingly more powerful mobile technology to create user experiences that are more natural and intuitive. The one use in particular that is mentioned in the statement issued by Intel is holographic 3D technology, allowing you to see a holographic rendition of the person you are talking to on the phone, a “capability only found in science fiction movies today”.
Research will be conducted using the MeeGo platform which is well suited for developing 3D applications and is of course open source. “Our new joint laboratory with Intel draws on the Oulu research community’s 3-D interface expertise, and over time will lay down some important foundations for future mobile experiences” said Rich Green, Senior Vice President and Research Officer at Nokia. Any form of three dimensional technology that requires glasses has fad written all over it, but something like this could really be revolutionary. The mind boggles at the applications of such a device but it’s easy to imagine how popular holographic gaming could be. It’s not the first time such a leap in technology has been attempted. Indian company Infosys issued a patent in 2008 for “Displaying Holographic Three Dimensional (3-D) Images” which aimed to have similar holographic devices ready by 2010, but there are no signs of a product being ready yet. Their system would be used for watching truly 3D movies and playing games.