A Startup Just Received Rs 44 Crore Funding To Build The World's First True Holographic Display
31 January, 2018
A California-based startup, Light Field Lab, has just raised Rs 44 crore ($7 million) in funding for a new type of display technology. They want to build the world’s first true holographic display, just like what you’ve probably seen in Star Wars before.
The money is courtesy of Khosla Ventures and Sherpa Capital, with participation from R7 Partners. It’s a huge amount of money for the initial seed round, but then again the goal is not an easy one.
Light Field Lab is working to build a prototype light-field display system that will display floating holograms in midair without needing accessories or other headsets. CEO Jon Karafin, in an interview with GamesBeat, said he hopes to eventually build something like Star Trek’s Holodeck, indistinguishable from reality. The holographic projection wall they’re planning could be placed on floors or ceilings, which would then project 3D objects in empty space.
“Light Field Lab has the potential to change the way we view and interact with media,” said Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla, in a statement. “This is essentially the holy grail of optical display technology, enabling things that seem like science fiction to be possible today. We are thrilled to be in on the ground floor with the team, and look forward to helping evolve this exciting technology.”
Right now, the designs feature a 6-inch by 4-inch module that projects images in a 3D space. The eventual aim is to build 2-feet by 2-feet modules that will have a 16K resolution. “When you get these types of resolutions, you are no longer able to tell the difference between the real and the synthetic,” Karafin says. “When you look at a display, you know it is a display. This is a true window into a world.”
Those larger modules can then be stitched together to make three dimensional screens 100-feet long, for use in public spaces in theme parks, concerts, and other outdoor events.