The future is here.

[ManfredVonRichthoffen]

Kind of a cool (http://www.fogscreen.com/) way to blow some money.

[Sundog]

That is completely cool.

I wonder if that opens the door to truly 3D displays?

[arcticpenguin]

"dry fog"? They are using words in unconventional ways so it is difficult to tell what they have actually accomplished.

[ManfredVonRichthoffen]

From what I read, I think they mean it feels dry to the touch. Doesn't condense water onto your hand if you stick your hand in there.

Don't have any idea how that is accomplished, unless the fog droplets are small enough that the evaporate quite easily.

[ManfredVonRichthoffen]

Originally posted by Sundog
That is completely cool.

I wonder if that opens the door to truly 3D displays?
Unfortunatly I doubt it. It looks like a replacement for the old white pull down screen. Instead of whatever canvas they use for that, they use fog with this one.

So either the fog screen would have to be in a 3d shape, which I think would be hard to do, or the projection would have to be the sum or more than one input so that you could specify a location for the projection in 3d space.

[peptoabysmal]

Really awesome!

From the website's "technology" link:


All the important principles of Fog Screen technology have been patented. The basic components of the screen are a laminar, non-turbulent airflow, and a thin fog screen (or any particles) injected into and inside a laminar flow. Created this way, the fog screen is an internal part of the laminar airflow, and remains thin, crisp, and protected from turbulence. When the screen is formed, images can be projected onto it. The screen can be translucent or fully opaque. The quality, size, and other features of the screen have been thoroughly improved in our latest prototype which was shown in Siggraph.


The fog is made in the device from water using ultrasonic waves. The fog is thus not hot, but feels cool, an does not make your hand wet if you hold it in the fog flow, the fog feels dry.

When the device is rigged up, it generates a mild downwards air and fog flow.


And they say that the next generation will be interactive, like a touch screen!

[arcticpenguin]

I think this might be fun at parties and promotional events, but the display would be disrupted by any breeze.

[malaka]

Originally posted by arcticpenguin
I think this might be fun at parties and promotional events, but the display would be disrupted by any breeze.

Thats what I thought, too. However, from peptoabysmals post, they claim "the fog screen is an internal part of the laminar airflow, and remains thin, crisp, and protected from turbulence."

I wanted to know more about this tech, but a search of "fog screen" at uspto.com turned up 63 results.

[a_unique_person]

I predict this will be a gimmick for advertising for a short while and then disappear in a puff of water vapour.

They appear to be projecting an image on a spray of fine mist.

[Eos of the Eons]

smokescreen :p

[SquishyDave]

Originally posted by a_unique_person
I predict this will be a gimmick for advertising for a short while and then disappear in a puff of water vapour.

Probably, but still cool.