LONDON: Now you can squash or stretch the vibrant images that pop out of the TV screen, thanks to a new 3D system developed by Japanese researchers.
In a demo, a 3D image of the Earth was squished like a soft rubber ball and then stretched wide across the screen.
Six motion-detector cameras are used to monitor the viewer's fingers and tiny clips attached to their index fingers vibrate when they 'touch' an image, reports the Daily Mail.
The multiple cameras are angled so that there are no blind spots.
The breakthrough i3Space device was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology ( NIAIST) in Japan.
A spokesman said: "This system recognises the user's behaviour and offers tactile feedback and the illusion of using the tactile sense of force. It is the first time you can feel images in the air."
The team believes i3Space could be useful for surgeons to practise techniques before an operation and also has great potential in gaming. Perhaps one day it could even make a Star Trek-style 'holodeck' a reality.
It builds on an interface called the GyroCubeSensuous, which the institute developed in 2005. This palm-sized device used gyroscopes and rotary force-feedback to simulate the virtual sensations of push, draw and buoyancy.
AIST will present the technology in September at 'CEDEC 2010' – Japan's Biggest Conference for Game Developers.