There is very little organized data on what is actually out there in holograms.  What is available for purchase, which hologram systems are still under development, what do they do?

This list shows 10 of the biggest hologram designs currently available or in development in no particular order.  This list has brief information on each one, if you want to learn more and how they work, you can download my eBook for free, get it here.

#10 – CNN Hologram
Made famous during the 2008 Presidential Elections, Wolf Blitzer would speak to a fully 3d ‘hologram’ correspondent if you want to call it that.  The problem is that the person in studio was staring at a blank stage, they were added in using a combination of matrix-style cameras and a sort of green screen effect, so only the people watching at home saw the ‘hologram’.  Nothing new or exciting about this one.

#9 – Holography
You’ve seen these types of hologram since you opened your first pack of baseball cards.  They are 2 dimensional images that changes colors or picture and you look at them from different angles.  You can see them on a license or passport, and many other places.  This is the most common form of holograms, but hardly similar to the ones you’ve seen in Sci Fi.

#8 – Laser Holograms
Lasers pulse rapidly in the air to create shapes out of dots.   Right now it is just simple shapes and animations out of dots, but the genius of this system is that is is fully 3D, and improving.  The potential for this is great for creating floating images out of thin air.  Keep an eye on this technology.

#7 – Glass Hologram
A .3mm slab of glass is cut into the shape of the spokesperson.  A rear projector is used to put the image on the glass.  Neat effect, about as useful as a flat screen TV for hologram purposes.

#6 – Pepper Ghost
Used by magicians, theme parks and haunted houses for the last 150 years (must have been even more amazing then).  It only works in certain setups (like a stage that has the right design).  There is a mirror room hidden that allows thing to appear and disappear on stage and create cool effects.

#5 1/2 – Enclosed Holograms
An image is projected upward from a 2D screen to a piece of glass that is at a 45 degree angle.  It tricks the viewers brain into thinking it is 3D.  Mostly used for trade shows, have a high price (around 9k).

#5 – Toy Mirage Holograms
A box holds an object that seems to be floating in mid-air, when you try to grab it, your hand goes right through it.  It is a cool toy with novelty value.  You may have seen this in the Lord of The Rings themed holding The Ring.

#4 – Light Field Display
USC Developed this technology, which is basically a spinning mirror that projects an image onto it.  It is omni-stereoscopic (fully 360 degree view).  The images and animations look impressive although each one requires care to be created.  The system was made to be easily and cheapily recreatable.  The big drawback is that it is stationairy and non-interactible (unless you want to touch a mirror spinning at incredible speeds).

#3 – 3D Glasses
The 1980′s have returned with 3D movies and now new TV technology.  An anaglyph image (2 views of the same image), the current glasses are polarized instead of just being different color.  It’s basically a brain trick.  Currently available in movie theaters and for home theater.  Very little future potential because it will still be a brain trick.

#2 – Ultrasound Holograms
One of the coolest advances in hologram technology.  This uses ultrasonic waves to simulate touch for holograms (or high-fidelity pressure fields with multiple ultrasound transducers based on wave-synthesis techniques for you techies).  It can simulate the user touching handheld objects currently and can be used in conjuction with image-producing hologram systems.  This one needs to be made larger scale and tested for full body use!  Stay tuned for more on this system.

#1 – Particle Holograms
Probably the coolest looking holograms in existence, these project images onto tiny particles that are invisible otherwise.  Disney mastered this technique, and currently there are several companies that produce holograms using it.  Although the image is 2D, it looks 3D if you are at the right angle and may be able to be 3D in the future.

This was all a brief list showing a couple of their traits.  I researched all the major hologram systems in existance and have written book on the subject that shares much more insight into which ones have a future, what should you build and TONS MORE.  I have released the book and it is available to:

Download eBook for FREE HERE