Lithuanian company creates first air-controlled holograms

The Lithuanian business GLUK media, which has been developing outstanding virtual reality images, has created an Air-touch holographic display interface called “Holograil.” There is speculation that it could eventually replace touch screens. According to the company’s CEO, a controlled hologram like this can be used in a variety of situations.

According to GLUK media director, Simas Chomentauskas, what we used to consider holograms were not truly deserving of the moniker. This is because the images were projected onto a surface: a specific film, water vapour, or any other material.

“They looked good from a long enough distance. Customers would come to us saying they wanted a real hologram. We answered that, unfortunately, such technology does not exist, it was not possible to make an image just hang in the air the way people imagine it… until we did it,” says the company executive.

According to S. Chomentauskas, a real hologram is displayed directly in the air. GLUK Media has improved this technology to the point where it is now possible to touch the hologram and control various other devices through it (e.g., lighting, sound systems, engineering systems, etc.)

The idea for such technology emerged at the start of the COVID pandemic when touch screens were a leading cause in infection transmission and people were looking for ways to reduce contact with surfaces. From a hygienic standpoint, an air touch screen would be perfectly safe to use even in situations where many people walk by and touch it and it would also work with gloves on.

GLUK media presented several air-controlled holograms at the International Software Development Conference and those who witnessed it in person were left speechless.

“Those who saw this hologram for the first time were really impressed. The image resolution is good enough, small details are visible. Therefore, I am thinking about its application in the medical sector. The air-touch hologram does not need to be cleaned, does not break down mechanically, cannot be vandalized and works in any condition. We can call this technology a super complex mirror—it can work for decades; it has nothing that could break. Especially since all the equipment could be built into a wall or a piece of furniture, so the external conditions are not affected,” says S. Chomentauskas. 

Knowing the potential application areas for the hologram, it is possible to start creating the content to be displayed. Currently, the company has built multiple holograms, each of which allows you to understand the numerous uses of its technology. 

One of the holograms is simply a keyboard “hanging” in the air, which can be used to type text and numbers with sufficient accuracy.

 The second is a control panel that can be used to control the sound system and lighting through the hologram. 

The third is a laser-scanned museum exhibit, displayed as a 3D object in the air. The user can rotate it in any way, zoom in or zoom out, look at it from all sides. The hologram system “understands” common gestures with which we control touch screens, i.e. zooming in on the image, swiping to see the next photo. “This could be an opportunity for museums to show those exhibits that are kept in storage and are not accessible to visitors,” said S. Chomentauskas. 

S. Chomentauskas, director of GLUK media director, notes “So now what? Once the technology is up and running, we start thinking about the content. What can we do with such a hologram? How can it be used? We want to hear it from experts in different fields, because maybe they will see a way to use it that we haven’t thought of. We work with museums, so we could display similar educational, instructional content through a hologram in the air. But we also have a hunch that this kind of technology could also be useful in the medical field.  Perhaps in the operating room, where everything has to be sterile? We want this technology to be not just impressive, but actually useful where using a touch screen today is difficult and inconvenient,”

So far, it is expected that the technology will be mostly utilised by the entertainment and advertising industries, but it may also be valuable to production firms as a tool for more clearly depicting manufacturing processes. Following the development of a technology, its developers must invest time and effort determining what circumstances it would be best to apply the technology. According to Chomentauskas, the competences of the company’s specialists would allow any company to develop demo content in about a month.

Chomentauskas states, “When we started experimenting with an air-touch hologram, there was nothing like it on the market yet. Today there is another company in the USA that is also experimenting. We will have to compete with them by offering further solutions”. 

We are currently looking for investors and ways to enter the European market.

Company director, C. Chomentauskas reveals that the technology is expensive, as it requires expensive components to create, and a fairly complex optical system that is being developed.

“It’s like a professional camera lens—due to its precision and what goes into it, it just can’t be cheap,” says the respondent. “Well, unique content created from scratch makes the final product even more expensive. However, we are currently conducting a kind of market analysis, figuring out how much potential customers would agree to pay for it and what specific product they would want for the agreed price.” 

S. Chomentauskas recommends everyone see the hologram displayed live in the air, as videos and photos do not convey the real effect. As a result, the business is sharing 3D renderings of what this technology looks like, but you have to see it with your own eyes to believe it.