[Electronics Weekly]

Thanks to a new screen made of fog, a 3D rabbit can appear in mid-air like a ghostly apparition. Developed by Masataka Imura of Osaka University in Japan and his team, the display allows people to move around it and view the 3D projection from different angles.

To create the image, three projectors shine slightly different variations of the rabbit into the fog stream. Water droplets in the mist scatter the light, softening the intense beam so that we can identify the picture.

By wearing an infrared LED, a person can interact with the 3D projection by putting their finger in the fog stream. A camera above the display detects the hand and triggers the projectors to change images. In this case, the rabbit appears startled when touched by a person.

The fog display could be used in medical clinics to help doctors visualise organs and explain procedures to patients.

The system will be demonstrated at Siggraph Asia, a yearly conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques, from December 13-15 in Hong Kong.

See the original post here: http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/02/12/2011/52438/video-mist-screens-enable-3d-projection-research.htm