Microsoft may be working on a holographic computing platform that involves a big, expensive headset. But researchers at Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab have developed a headset-free system that works with a smartphone-sized device.

It’s called HoloFlex, and it’s a flexible touchscreen display combined with an array of more than 16,000 fisheye lenses that give graphics a 3D effect, making it look like they pop off the screen.

holoflex

As the team’s demo video makes clear though, there are some serious downsides to the technology.

The biggest problem is resolution: the HoloFlex uses a 1920 x 1080 pixel display, but images are rendered in circular blocks that are 12 pixels wide to give them a 3D effect… and that means you have an effects screen resolution of just 160 x 104. Imagery looks pretty grainy.

The upside is that you don’t need to wear special glasses to see the 3D effects. And since the system uses a flexible OLED display and a bend sensor, you can interact with content either by touching the screen or by bending it.

Researchers build a prototype using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 2GB of RAM, and Android 5.1 software. But theoretically this technology could be used with more powerful hardware (and higher-resolution screens) to open the door to more powerful holographic gaming, video conferencing, and other applications.

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