Submitted to
Mr. Vipin Kamboj
Submitted by:
Pooja Negi
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INTRODUCTIONS
Heliodisplay is a hi-tech projector that displays pictures in the air. The Heliodisplay is a free space display developed by IO2 Technology. A projector is focused onto a layer of mist in mid-air, resulting in a two-dimensional display that appears to float. As dark areas of the image may appear invisible, the image may be more realistic than on a projection screen.Heliodisplay can work as a free-space touch screen when connected to a PC by a USB cable. A PC sees the Heliodisplay as a pointing device, like a mouse. With the supplied software installed, one can use a finger, pen, or another object as cursor control and navigate or interact with simple content.
Heliodisplay is a patented projection system designed to project video, products, information, people in mid-air (50" & 90" diagonal form factor). Heliodisplay is part of a complete two-piece solution (base unit and projection unit). You can connect the Heliodisplay to any video output, or insert a CF (CompactFlash) card with AVI or JPEG files into the Heliodispay, and project any images or video in mid-air. Press the power button (eco-friendly, low power consumption 100watts, 280watts), connect the video source, and you will see images in air (some content is better than others). Heliodisplay prices range from $19,000 and 39,000USD (M50/L90) for the hardware. Interactive models such as the L90i are available that allow for touchscreen interactivity of the free-space video or image. No special programming is required as this works like a standard mouse driver. IO2 Technology ships Heliodisplays worldwide. We can work with you to deploy Heliodisplays in your location. Heliodisplays work on any power source, 90-240V, 50 or 60 Hz. No fog or special chemical is required. Heliodisplay does not affect the environment as it works using the existing air that is already in the room to create the image. An internal water tank of 8 liters filled with regular tap water lasts one to two days on the L90 and a 3 liter tank on the M50 lasts a day. A supplied water tank can be configured for operating continuously for a week, month or years. Heliodisplay M50 are ready place on a table or the L90 sits on the ground. No trusswork or hanging necessary. Easily extending a few lines allows the system to run for multiple days/weeks/ months or years. Heliodisplay’s images hovers 5 cm (2”) beside the unit. Heliodisplay works in any controlled indoor lighting, such as the lighting in stores, museums, offices, and lobbies. Heliodisplay’s image looks best when the hardware is hidden inside furniture or structures.
HISTORY
In late 2003, a small company from the San Francisco Bay Area demonstrated a unique revolutionary display technology. The (then) prototype device projected an image in thin air just above it, creating an illusion of a floating hologram, reminiscent of the famous scene from 'Star Wars' in which R2-D2 projects a hologram of Princess Leia.
The development of this distinctive technology, dubbed Heliodisplay by its developer Chad Dyner, began early this decade after Dyner decided to trade a promising career as an architect to become an inventor. Dyner bought an ordinary digital projector, took it apart, and spent entire days trying to figure out a way to stop in midair the light coming from the projector without engaging a traditional screen. Though the details are kept a closely-guarded secret, Dyner was willing to provide a general description of the way the Heliodisplay works.
Displaying an image using conventional projectors requires a non-transparent medium, typically screens, walls, or even water, but air, which is transparent, cannot be used. A more recent development is the Fog Screen, which creates an image in midair by employing a large, non-turbulent airflow to protect the dry fog generated within from turbulence. The result is a thin, stable sheet of fog, sandwiched between two layers of air, on which an image can be projected and even walked through. The Heliodisplay creates a similar effect, but, instead of fog, it uses a cloud of microscopic particles whose specific nature is one of the secrets Dyner keeps close to the vest. In 2005, the U.S. Patent Office granted Dyner a patent for a "method and system for free-space imaging display and interface". Apparently, the Heliodisplay creates a particle cloud by passing the surrounding air through a heat pump, which in turn cools the air to a level below its dew point, where it condensates, and is then collected to create an artificial cloud. The particle cloud is composed of a vast number of individual micro droplets, between 1-10 microns in diameter, too small to be visible to the naked eye, held together by surface tension. The focus and illumination intensity of the projected image can be controlled by changing some of the cloud's properties, enabling a sharper and brighter image.
Since 2003, IO2 Technology, the California-based company Dyner founded to commercialize his invention, began selling his device under the brand name Heliodisplay M2 for just under $20,000, out of reach of most consumers. IO2 Technology is actually marketing the M2 to corporate customers who would use the device as a novel way to display the company's logo or as a strikingly impressive advertising and promotional tool for exhibitions.
The M2 projects its 76.2 cm (30'') diagonal floating image at a height of 71 cm (28") above the projector. The native resolution of the M2 is 800 x 600 though it can support up to 1280 x 1024, and the image can be viewed from as much as a 150 degrees angle. The M2i model includes a proprietary system, called Heliocast, for interactively controlling the displayed image. A sensor inside the M2 identifies the movement of the user's hand in the area of the projected image and the Heliocast software calculates the movement of the object projected.
TFOT recently covered another unique display technology, called Perspecta, developed by Actuality Systems. Unlike the Perspecta, which is a true 3D display capable of showing a 3D object perceived when simply walking around the display, the M2 displays a 2D image in midair, creating the illusion of depth. While the Perspecta is currently used mainly for medical and research purposes, the M2 is intended primarily for corporate use as a promotional or advertising tool at this stage. Although it is possible to view movies or play games on the M2, Dyner admitted that the current device is not intended for serious applications such as CAD (computer-aided design). The Perspecta is an enclosed device with lower resolution but with the capability to display a full 3D image and video with almost no flickering or wavering effects. A future display might incorporate the best of both worlds: an open-air display with high resolution, clear 3D capability, along with an accurate interactive capability.
