A volumetric display system including a volumetric display for displaying a scene viewable as a three-dimensional floating-in-the-air scene in a display space, enabling a user to reach a first object into the display space, a location determination unit locating real objects in the display space, providing a location of the first object when the first object is inserted into the display space, and a computer for receiving the location of the first object, detecting when the location of the first object is at a location where an object is displayed in the three-dimensional scene, thereby determining that the first object is viewable as touching the displayed object following a detection of the first object viewable as touching the displayed object, producing a new three-dimensional scene displaying the displayed object as if manipulated by the first object. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Disclosed are methods and systems for displaying images, and for implementing volumetric user interfaces. One exemplary embodiment provides a system comprising: a light source; an image producing unit, which produces an image upon interaction with light approaching the image producing unit from the light source; an eyepiece; and a mirror, directing light from the image to a surface of the eyepiece, wherein the surface has a shape of a solid of revolution formed by revolving a planar curve at least 180 around an axis of revolution.

A holographic image recording method is disclosed, that is realized through utilizing a holographic image fetching and recording device, including the following steps: using an image fetching device to fetch an image of a target object placed on a rotation table rotating at a fixed speed, the image thus obtained is transmitted to a display panel through a connection line; using a light emitting unit to emit coherent light to a first reflector; that reflects the coherent light to light splitter; and the light splitter splits the coherent light along a first light path and a second light path into an object light and a reference light, and transmits them onto a holographic film to interfere with each other, to form a holographic image. A holographic image reconstructing method is also disclosed, to reconstruct and form a 3D holographic image floating above the holographic film.

A method for displaying a hologram to a variable direction including using circuitry to determine a direction from a holographic projector to a viewer for projecting a hologram to a viewer, and projecting a hologram in the determined direction, in which the projecting the hologram includes reflecting from a same mirror as the determining the direction of the viewer, and the circuitry controls the projecting the hologram to a direction corrected for a difference in direction between a projecting unit and a tracking unit relative to the mirror. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

A holographic-stereogram-forming apparatus includes a laser beam source that generates a laser beam to be split into an object beam and a reference beam; a display that displays an original image corresponding to a substantially strip-shaped holographic element constituting a holographic stereogram containing parallax information in a horizontal direction; a diffusing unit provided on a light-emission side of the display and including optical elements having different thicknesses in a direction of light transmission, the optical elements being arranged in a matrix and each having a substantially rectangular shape with a vertical length being shorter than a horizontal length, the diffusing unit diffusing object beam more widely in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction, the object beam to be diffused by the diffusing unit being generated by the display; and a condensing unit that condenses the object beam diffused by the diffusing unit on a hologram recording medium.

A method for displaying a hologram to a variable direction including using circuitry to determine a direction from a holographic projector to a viewer for projecting a hologram to a viewer, and projecting a hologram in the determined direction, in which the projecting the hologram includes reflecting from a same mirror as the determining the direction of the viewer, and the circuitry controls the projecting the hologram to a direction corrected for a difference in direction between a projecting unit and a tracking unit relative to the mirror. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

An image recording device includes a laser beam source that emits a laser beam, a splitting unit that splits the laser beam emitted from the laser beam source into two laser beams, a display device that displays images over a display area thereof divided into segments, a display controller that controls display of the display device so that images for forming a holographic stereogram are displayed on the segments of the display area and so that one of the laser beams is modulated by the images displayed on the display device to become object beams, an optical system that images the object beams on a hologram recording medium so that the object beams are superimposed one on top of another, and an irradiating unit that irradiates the hologram recording medium with, besides the object beams, the other laser beam split by the splitting unit as a reference beam.

Disclosed are methods and systems for displaying images, and for implementing volumetric user interfaces. One exemplary embodiment provides a system comprising: a light source; an image producing unit, which produces an image upon interaction with light approaching the image producing unit from the light source; an eyepiece; and a mirror, directing light from the image to a surface of the eyepiece, wherein the surface has a shape of a solid of revolution formed by revolving a planar curve at least 180 around an axis of revolution.

A holographic-stereogram-forming apparatus includes a laser beam source that generates a laser beam to be split into an object beam and a reference beam; a display that displays an original image corresponding to a substantially strip-shaped holographic element constituting a holographic stereogram containing parallax information in a horizontal direction; a diffusing unit provided on a light-emission side of the display and including optical elements having different thicknesses in a direction of light transmission, the optical elements being arranged in a matrix and each having a substantially rectangular shape with a vertical length being shorter than a horizontal length, the diffusing unit diffusing object beam more widely in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction, the object beam to be diffused by the diffusing unit being generated by the display; and a condensing unit that condenses the object beam diffused by the diffusing unit on a hologram recording medium.

Disclosed are methods and systems for displaying images, and for implementing volumetric user interfaces. One exemplary embodiment provides a system comprising: a light source; an image producing unit, which produces an image upon interaction with light approaching the image producing unit from the light source; an eyepiece; and a mirror, directing light from the image to a surface of the eyepiece, wherein the surface has a shape of a solid of revolution formed by revolving a planar curve at least 180 around an axis of revolution.