A prototype is a preliminary model of something. Projects that offer physical products need to show backers documentation of a working prototype. This gallery features photos, videos, and other visual documentation that will give backers a sense of what’s been accomplished so far and what’s left to do. Though the development process can vary for each project, these are the stages we typically see:

The Holovect Mk II is a self-contained laser-based volumetric display system that fits on your lab bench or desktop. It is the perfect companion to a 3D printer and a stand-alone educational or promotional device. The Holovect Mk II is the first commercially available, laser-based desktop "holographic" display, capable of drawing 3D objects in air with light.

Holographic Starship! Beam on.

Holographic

Holovect images are NOT holograms but instead volumetric vector images projected onto modified air (i.e. projections in space). This distinction is due to the fact that a hologram is a recording of interference patterns on film or glass plates that contains three-dimensional information about an object (greek root "holo" means whole or complete, and "gram" means record). However, since Holovect images contain three dimensional information and are free-floating objects in air, they are most certainly holographic. They are real 3-D projections.

Mirage Technology

So how does it work? The principles are simple. When light travels between two different mediums in most cases you get three different effects to some degree: refraction (bending), reflection, and/or diffusion, depending on the different “refractive index” (RI) of the materials. An example of this are mirages, which occur when a portion of air has a different RI than its surroundings, causing light beams to bend and be reflected in unexpected ways. This can happen because of temperature or pressure differences from one region to the next.