Ask any scientist working today, and they’ll tell you that Star Trek has had an amazing impact on their work. From scientists in Holland who have managed to transport photons of light across the room, to NASA rocket engineers working on the first steps to Warp drive. There’s even an Israeli group who have developed “shields” to protect tanks from incoming missiles. What could be next, you ask? How about Holograms.

Holograms are nothing new, sure. But now, Reuters reports that a group of Japanese scientists who have managed to great a hologram that responds to human touch. It’s an amazing breakthrough that not only allows for interactions for games, video conferencing and the like, but also design applications which could take technology to a whole new level.

The scientists use a combination of ultrasonic waves and Wii Controllers to write a software program which tracks movements and allows holograms to respond to touch.
How, we won’t have professional Moriarty attempting to take over the Enterprise any time soon. But this capability will certainly bring CAD applications – like those featured when Tony Stark built his suit in Ironman – to the next level.

Hat Tip – Switched