3D Animations In Mid-Air Using Plasma Balls

An anonymous reader clues us to research at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology that has produced the ability to make animations by creating small plasma balls in mid-air. The technology doesn't use vapor or strange gases, just lasers to heat up oxygen and nitrogen molecules above the device: up to 1,000 brilliant dots per second, which makes smooth motion possible. When the tech improves it could be used for street signs or advertising.

Oblig...

[band-aid-brand (1068196)]

I, for one, welcome our new lethally hot gas based advertisement overlords...

Sharks? No. Mosquitos? YES!

[Cpt_Kirks (37296)]

Growing up in a mosquito infested area, I often thought that someday, an anti-mosquito laser system could be developed.

This technology could possibly do that. If it can focus a laser on a particular spot long enough to make plasma out of air, it can zap a skeeter!

And you thought a bug-zapper was entertaining...

Re:Sharks? No. Mosquitos? YES!

[Bluesman (104513)]

I like the way you think.

But what we really need is a way to control mosquitos so that they can swarm to form advertisements. Then we'd get the laser bug zapper for free.

pink tentacle?

[by Anonymous Coward]

I'm not clicking that link.

Re:Old news

[jellomizer (103300)]

I think I requested it to slashdot back then too... It got rejected. I think it was replaced with some story about a cool new case mod, perhaps a minor Linux kernel upgrade.

cool but Yikes!

[Lumpy (12016)]

It uses high power lasers to heat the air into a "plasma" when running it has the sounds of crackles as mini explosions occur.

Oh yeah, that's a display I want. Instead of the cat blocking the screen, the cat bursts into flames. How the heck am I going to explain that one to the wife?

Re:cool but Yikes!

[Bluesman (104513)]

"How the heck am I going to explain that one to the wife?"

I'd say this:

Why do you keep talking about this cat, honey? For the millionth time, we NEVER HAD A CAT. I think you need to see a doctor.

It's a pretty healthy way to help loved ones deal with loss.

Re:cool but Yikes!

[Loligo (12021)]

Remember the time it fried her cat? And then you lied and said she never had a cat? Then why'd she have the litterbox, Bluesman? Why'd she have the litterbox?

  -l

Re:cool but Yikes!

[megaditto (982598)]

Instead of the cat blocking the screen, the cat bursts into flames. How the heck am I going to explain that one to the wife?

Tell her that her pussy is smokin'-hot?

sorry, sorry

Re:cool but Yikes!

[tgd (2822)]

Probably better than telling her that her pussy smells like burnt hair, I suppose.

"Street signs or advertising"

[smclean (521851)]

Hah, who sees an amazing technology like this and immediately begins thinking about its potential use for advertising? To me, its use in advertising seems like the only downside to this technology..

"Guys!! I just heard that they came up with a way to project images directly in to your brain! Awesome, think of the *commercials*!! "

Re:"Street signs or advertising"

[HTH NE1 (675604)]

"Guys!! I just heard that they came up with a way to project images directly in to your brain! Awesome, think of the *commercials*!! "

But not in our dreams. Only on TV and radio, and in magazines, and movies, and at ball games... and on buses and milk cartons and T-shirts, and bananas and written on the sky. But not in dreams, no siree.

What the hell?

[east coast (590680)]

While it's at least mildly interesting I had a real problem with one of the linked sources. Not the linked source itself but the obviously photoshopped cruise liner [burton-jp.com].

What the hell is that all about? I know that it may be able to swing this in the future but let's not get out of hand. Not to mention that my 12 year old nephew is a better photoshop hacker.

Star Wars

[JoeDuncan (874519)]

So am I finally going to be able to play holo-chess against a wookie?

Re:Star Wars

[jimstapleton (999106)]

ppft, screw holo-chess, I want an authentic looking light saber!

Actually, it probably *WILL* burn whatever it hits too!

Re:Star Wars

[freeweed (309734)]

Yes, but he'll tear your arms out of their sockets if he loses.

Street signs and advertising? I THINK NOT!

[alta (1263)]

Forget it, that's not the early adopters.

It'll be used for video games and pr0n. We all know who gets tech first. The problem I see is that it heats up they air to the point that when you get too excited and attempt to touch... You loose a hand or other appendage.

Lightsaber anyone?

[Thansal (999464)]

Make me a portable version of this and I can finally have my friken LIGHTSABER!

Polluting?

[Lazarian (906722)]

Wouldn't heating oxygen and nitrogen in air with lasers to the point of making glowing plasma also create ozone and nitric oxides? This sounds like it would be the same as having dozens of electric arcs going off in mid air.

As much as I like the idea of being assailed with even more ads everywhere I look, this seems to be a very environmentally harmful idea. Along with harmful gases being produced by plasma discharges, it would be noisy as well, not to mention that displays like this would give off UV light as well, just like an electric arc. Bad idea.

Re:Polluting?

[mikael (484)]

As long as they put the device in a sealed box, this would not be a problem. Maybe they could use neon/argon gas as they do with ordinary tubes, thus eliminating the danger of creating oxides.

Re:Polluting?

[StikyPad (445176)]

That's why I'm working on my Laser Retinal Projector (patent pending) which aims the lasers directly at the retina. Since the eye is sealed system, there's virtually no danger of toxic gases! What's more, it offers a high degree of privacy, and if you're forgetful it can literally etch the images into your mind for life.*

*Limit of one etch per mind.

WARNING: Looking directly at the Laser Retinal Projector may cause minor explosions of the eye.

Very cool, but not likely to be used...

[Darlok (131116)]

Well, first, this is sadly old news. The technology was actually exhibited at SIGGRAPH 2006 [siggraph.org] in Boston last July. It's pretty cool, but I'm not sure it would ever be put to practical use, at least in its current form.

For one thing, it's loud! Every plasma ball makes a sizzling pop as it winks in and out of existence. Now magnify that by thousands of times as it scans out a 3D wireframe... the entire area for quite a distance surrounding fills with an ear-splitting sound of angry electric bees. There was talk of putting it on buildings to run electronic billboards in cities, but anyone within a few blocks would need ear protection to co-exist with it!

Very cool stuff, but we're a loooong way from 3D open-air advertising.

Some video

[desideria (140436)]

There's video of the projector in action here [youtube.com]

YouTube video...

[CyberSnyder (8122)]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=He2QTpelAjE [youtube.com]

Re:Short on Information

[griffjon (14945)]

It seems that the light is coming from the plasma, not the laser, so changing colors might not work. Also, you have to have one laser per pixel. I'd imagine to have two balls, one directly above another, you'd have to be able to tilt another laser to focus its beam at that location (if that makes any sense)

Also - the current display can make 1000 balls? meh. That's a 10px x 10px x 10px display. It's awesome, sure, but the photoshop jobs they're showing are a LONG way off; right now we're looking more at led scroller type displays.