Creating a realistic hologram involves a lot of expensive equipment, both for scanning and projection. But a Kickstarter project aims to provide an affordable hologram for as little as $199, and needs nothing more than a single Portrait mode photo taken by an iPhone …
The project is called Looking Glass Portrait, with early-bird rewards starting at $199 (after the early bird pricing was extended).
The company says creating a hologram is as easy as taking a Portrait mode photo and uploading it into a Mac app.
We’ve always wanted a way for everyone to have their own holographic display. That’s why today we’re so excited to share something we’ve been working on in secret for the past 18 months: the Looking Glass Portrait — your first personal holographic display.
Other options are to shoot video and to use 3D creation apps.
Take a single Portrait mode photo with your iPhone
Import single Portrait mode photo into HoloPlay Studio
HoloPlay Studio automatically converts the depth from Portrait mode photos into the dozens of perspectives needed to make a hologram. After conversion, the hologram is automatically stored in Looking Glass Portrait for standalone playback.
The device can support up to 1,000 built-in holographic images. The viewing frame incorporates a Raspberry Pi 4 to provide the processing power and storage. You can also use it as a holographic display for a Mac when using tools like Unity, Unreal, Blender, Maya, and Azure Kinect.
Sadly, an affordable hologram isn’t going to make a holiday gift for anyone: delivery is estimated in March 2021.
Given the number of crowdfunded projects that fail, we would add our usual caution here: there is always risk involved in backing projects before the product is actually produced. If you prefer to wait, the retail price will be $349.
