Computer screen made from fog

[Dover]

Computer screen made from fog
Tracy Staedter
Discovery News
Monday, 27 June 2005



This interactive image is projected onto a fine mist of water vapour (Image: Fogscreen)


A new interactive computer touch screen uses fog as a projection medium instead of glass or plastic.

Such an immersive projection technology could have applications that range from walk-through advertisements to hygienic touch screens in operating rooms, where handling a keyboard or mouse could be unhygienic.

"The interactive screen is quite new and has not been used anywhere," says Dr Ismo Rakkolainen, chief technology officer at Finnish compay Fogscreen, who developed the technology with Professor Karri Palovuori of Tampere University of Technology.

According to Rakkolainen, other screens made from fog have been developed, but are not interactive because the large water vapour particles they use would create a damp experience for the user.

But Rakkolainen's screen is a ceiling-mounted device that sprays a fine mist of tap-water particles so small they feel dry to the touch.

The fog is contained to a rectangular shape because it is sandwiched between two layers of flowing air that keep it from dispersing. ...cont'd

http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1401033.htm

Fogscreen Website: http://www.fogscreen.com/

The FogScreen is a new invention which makes objects seem to appear and move in thin air! It is a screen you can walk through! The FogScreen is created by using a suspended fog generating device, there is no frame around the screen. The installation is easy: just replace the conventional screen with FogScreen. You don´t need to change anything else - it works with standard video projectors.

With FogScreen you can create a walk-thru wall, or a door you don´t need to open. The viewer can walk through the screen – walk directly into the images, and through them! People and things can be brought into view through the screen.

The fog we are using is dry, so it doesn't make you wet even if you stay under the FogScreen device for a long time. The fog is made of ordinary water with no chemicals whatsoever. With two projectors, you can project different images on both sides of the screen.

[Tux]

1. Cool and all but

Does it run Linux?

[Oversea Visitor]

2. Woah

truly 3D cool. Me wait

[tridim]

3. I don't think it's 3D

It's just a 2D video projected on fog, but still pretty cool.

[Oversea Visitor]

4. Hmm

Not X and Y
But X, Y and Z hey 3D