Light Field Lab demonstrates Holodeck Prototype Display Modules

by markus · 2019-01-04

The relative silence of the recent holidays gives us a chance to catch up on an interesting story we missed: Earlier in 2018, startup Light Field Lab announced working on a real-life version of the Holodeck – a holographic room from the Star Trek universe, which allows users to immerse themselves in a holographic, constructed world.
While the Holodeck itself is, of course, still a thing of the not-so-near future, Light Field Lab is reportedly making big steps towards the holographic display technology that lies at the base of such a “hologram room”.

In November 2018, the company invited select visitors to experience the current state of their development, and it sounds like their prototype impressed: In contrast to most other “holographic displays” (excluding the Looking Glass), Light Field Lab is using light field technologz to produce true holograms that seemingly float in three-dimensional space.
The “R150MP Model 2018” prototype display is approx. 10 x 15 cm (4 x 6 inches) and produces glasses-free 3D holograms with a depth up to 5 cm (2 in) and 30° viewing angle using over 150 million full-colour rays, or approx. 16,000 x 10,000 holographic sub-pixels.

The prototype is more than just a proof of concept: Light Field Lab is working on fusing several of these 7-inch display modules to 18-inch displays (producing holograms with a depth of up to 60 cm), which can then be combined to build entire holographic video walls with depths of 3 meters upwards).
The company is planning to start manufacturing next year, and start selling to location-based enterntainment vendors (e.g. theatres, casinos, or museums) in 2020.