
Japan develops 3D phone
AP Tokyo
November 25, 2004
IT IS an idea that was popularised by Princess Leia's plea for help in Star Wars: sending a 3-D hologram.
Now, two Japanese scientists have developed technology they hope will one day turn the humble telephone booth into a high-tech chamber for beaming holographic images.
At a Tokyo University laboratory, a woman stands inside a booth where a 360-degree digital camera surrounding her face sends data to a cylindrical tube. Soon, she appears to be staring out from the tube. Viewed from the side, only the side of her head is visible. Go round to the back, and only her hair can be seen.