A Video Projector That Fits In Your Pocket 187
Sven-Erik writes "Video projectors able to project high-quality images will be embedded in your cellphones and laptops within two years. This is the promise of a new technology developed at Cambridge University. These pocket projectors will have no lenses and no light bulbs. Instead, these future battery-powered tiny projectors will rely on holographic technology and special algorithms. In 'Holograms enable pocket projectors,' Technology Research News explains that a 2D hologram will be created on a microdisplay and projected by using a laser beam. This has been possible because the researchers have written special algorithms which generates the holograms a million times faster than standard ones." Update: 07/03 21:21 GMT by T : Note that this text belongs to Roland Piquepaille and comes from his weblog; submitters, please strive to make your sources clear.
Hmm (Score:2, Interesting)
New killer teleconference app? (Score:4, Interesting)
Well.. (Score:4, Interesting)
The Laptop projectors on the other hand, if they are built in, would eliminate the need for bulky projectors when a worker needs to give a presentation to his boss or co workers.. they could even make mini tv's use this technology, and project onto any free space of wall.
Re:Watch for Apple (Score:3, Interesting)
Kinda strange though, that when I think of those three items I don't think of Apple....
Re:won't the small size also affect image quality? (Score:3, Interesting)
Actually, the cost is likely to be quite a lot lower than anything involving optics. Making lenses is hard work. Making lasers is easy. And from what they say in the article, I gather that the hardware for the image production bit is pretty easy to make too. What's complicated are the algorithms they use in the background.
Students (Score:2, Interesting)
I welcome our new pocket-sized projector overloards.
What's the light source? (Score:4, Interesting)
The actual imaging component of a projector isn't that big. Look at the TI DLP chip. [dlp.com] Their projectors are already down to 2.2 pounds.
Color is a problem. Currently, you need either a color wheel for field-sequential color or three imaging chips, which looks better. This new "holographic" display has the same problem. Note that their demo image is greyscale.
What's really needed are powerful LED arrays as the light source. If you could change the light source color at a few KHz, which LEDs can easily do, a one-chip DLP projector without a color wheel would work. With an LED light source, you could do some other obvious power-saving tricks, too. You need no more light output than the brightest pixel in that color in that frame. With sectional lighting, maybe less.
LEDs with enough light output for this are not far off. LEDs have taken over automotive taillights, and white LED automotive headlamps are expected in 2006. Toyota showed a car with LED headlamps in 2003.
That direction is more likely to result in smaller projectors than this "holographic" thing.
Cool, but potential for weird/annoying uses. (Score:1, Interesting)
This micro projector saves laptops. (Score:1, Interesting)
Low power, lighter, and when you need to wash the "screen" you just throw it in the laundry and thereafter dry and remove the lint.
And those of us that like to browse slashdot with *ahhem* one hand on their joystick and one hand on their *uhm* mouse, you won't regreat losing controll onto your monitor.
I dont't know Sven-Erik, but he didn't wrote this (Score:5, Interesting)
just the next step (Score:2, Interesting)
Am I missing something ? (Score:4, Interesting)
Therefore what you need, past the circuitry, is a good compression algorithm for the holographic data. This is unlikely to follow the precepts of the JPEG/MPEG compression (more oppotunity for patents methinks). Together with the display technology you then have a viable system.
Interesting technology, maybe, but not a complete solution yet.
? 2-D hologram ? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Hmm (Score:3, Interesting)
It will be interesting to see how the new prototype Sony technology (the black screen thing) works out. It would be amazing to have a high quality projected image without needing great control of the ambient light.
There are also people doing reverse projection setups using front projectors. These also reduce the need for ambient light control.
Are these really holograms... (Score:3, Interesting)
Or maybe - are diffraction gratings a form of a hologram?
What I am trying to get at, is that they appear to have used a microdisplay to generate a diffraction grating pattern that generates the resultant image - similar to how the el-cheapo laser pointer keychain devices use small diffraction gratings to "project" words and drawings on walls.
Is there more to this? Am I missing something? Whatever the case, it looks like very interesting and promising technology...