The holograms we know and are a little creeped out by today are generally created by projecting images onto a medium. The infamous Michael Jackson hologram that performed at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards? He was created by projecting a “digital head connected to an actor.” While we are edging ever closer to Star Wars-type holograms, the limitation remains that the image source still needs something to reflect light off of before it reaches your eyes as a 3D image.

Japanese company Aerial Burton has moved holography in a completely new direction. They created 3D moving images in mid-air using laser plasma technology. Their technique doesn’t require fog, water, or a screen to create images; the lasers simply ionize molecules in the air. The company accomplished this using a 1kHz infrared pulse laser directed into a 3D scanner. The laser hits pre-defined points in mid-air, instantly creating short-lived pockets of plasma by ionizing molecules at the appropriate points.

This so-sciencey-it-makes-your-head-kind-of-hurt technology has its limitations, though. It can’t create detailed images like the projection method can. The little bursts of light are so short-lived that the projector has to continually blast laser beams to continue displaying the image. The system was designed to be portable enough to fit into a car, which is an important aspect for Aerial Burton. They envision the technology being used to project information or directions in emergencies, so when there’s a natural disaster you will only have to look to the sky to find an evacuation route or safe haven.

The post Lasers Ionize Mid-Air Molecules to Make Moving Holograms first appeared on Gajitz.

Just think of all the stuff you have you grab before you leave the house every day – phone, wallet, keys, headphones, maybe a portable gaming device, and maybe even a watch and MP3 player if those aren’t already integrated into your other gadgets. The LifeHub from Lucid Design is here to make your mornings (and, in fact, your entire day) much easier by incorporating all of your gadgets into one smart little package.

The LifeHub is meant to replace eight objects that many of us use on a daily basis (or at least pretty often): a watch, a smartphone, a headset, a key, a wallet, a speaker, a projector, and a personal organizer. The gadget would not only save the space occupied by all of these objects – it would save power because it only requires a single cord to charge it up. There’s no syncing between devices because it’s all one device.

The smartphone, watch, speaker and projector functions are all pretty self-explanatory. The headset is actually two discreet Bluetooth earpieces that snap out of the LifeHub’s main body. They also function as earpieces/microphones on the LifeHub itself when they’re snapped into the body. When the LifeHub is docked, it becomes rich portable speakers.

The LifeHub acts as a wallet by storing information on several of your credit/debit cards. It’s a key thanks to a removable, programmable, password-protected device that works to open physical locks compatible with the LifeHub technology. The key, incidentally, can also be used as a USB data storage device.

The personal organizer can do nearly anything else you need a gadget to do. It’s a notepad, an alarm clock, a gaming device and a weather center. Kept at your bedside while it’s charging, it can keep you informed about everything that’s going on in your world and even stream internet radio to help you drift off to sleep.

You can use the LifeHub as a projector to give awe-inducing presentations at work or just to show off your vacation photos to your friends. And of course, the LifeHub is a smartphone that can let you talk, text, and video chat. Apps, contacts, great sound and a sleek look make it a pretty enviable gadget to have.

All of that functionality is rolled up into a flexible package that can be worn easily around the wrist like a bracelet. The surface displays the time but can also alert you to any other news or messages coming in at the moment. The LifeHub isn’t quite ready for market just yet, but with the current state of electronics and their amazing abilities we wouldn’t be surprised to see it hit the streets in five or so years.

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Believe it or not, this bizarre-looking gadget from designer Nikolaus Frank could be the future of mobile devices. It’s called the Spider Computer, and it’s a combination projector, computer with laser keyboard and mobile phone – all in a package about the size of a flashlight.

When its three legs are folded out and the top of the device opened, it projects its display onto a wall or table. A laser keyboard can also be projected onto a table, letting users work or play wherever they happen to be. Plus it is sort of reminiscent of the spider robots from Minority Report, which would make the Spider a great way to freak out table-neighbors in coffee shops.

With its legs folded up and the top closed, the tubular device becomes a somewhat uncomfortable-looking mobile phone. It’s hard to imagine holding this device to your ear for any length of time, but its size makes it super-handy for carrying in a pocket or purse.

The post Bugged Out: Arachnid-Like Mobile Device Does Triple Duty first appeared on Gajitz.

More than one dedicated lover has promised to reach up into the sky to grab the stars for his or her beloved. The phrase has been merely metaphorical until now. The Stella Camera and Projector concept is a hand-held gadget meant to capture the stars and keep them where budding astronomers can gaze upon them forever.

Designed by Seung-Kwon Kim, Seung-Ju Kim & Zhong-fa Lie, Stella is a sweet little product aimed at children who are interested in the stars. Since light pollution is a problem that grows daily, the designers wanted to create a way for children to preserve the stars before they become completely invisible from Earth. The small glass lens adjusts easily to focus on the desired constellation and then stores its image digitally.

Once indoors, the Stella also acts as a projector. Captured constellations are displayed on the walls and ceilings, turning any room into a personal planetarium. The designers don’t go into much detail about whether the device is able to capture many individual constellations and patch them together into a large picture of the night sky, but that would be the ideal.

However the projector function works, the idea of “collecting” constellations is wonderfully romantic and just geeky enough that we really hope the designers are able to fund the project and make Stella into a reality.

The post Catch a Falling Star: Constellation Camera + Star Projector first appeared on Gajitz.

Camera technology may be advancing by leaps and bounds every year, but the form has remained largely the same for many years. This pocket-size video camera takes the familiar camera form and throws it out of the window, opting instead for a sleek vehicle-like exterior and a surprising number of features in such a small package.

Inspired by Syd Mead’s legendary sci-fi concepts – the Blade Runner aesthetics in particular – designer Bach Nguyen set out to design a camera unlike any the world had ever seen. His Discovery concept is definitely surprising in its shape and size, but you might be even more shocked by everything it is capable of.

Far from being a one-trick pony, the Discovery is also a projector with wi-fi capabilities. It can stream content wherever you go, whether from its own internal memory, from the internet or from a memory card. The Discovery is also designed to be easily upgradable for the life of the product. Its simple construction means that anyone can easily unsnap the processor and memory card and replace it with an upgraded model with a minimum amount of effort.

The form factor on this gadget is absolutely stunning – its futuristic profile and flip-up transparent screen make it look more like a high-priced cell phone than a digital video camera. A snap-off battery and what looks like an induction charger complete the dead-easy operation of what could be a very successful consumer entertainment project.

The post Streaming, Recording, Playing – All in One Sleek Package first appeared on Gajitz.