iHologram Looks Remarkable, but Is it Real?

[MacRumors]

Macenstein points us to an interesting video which claims to create a "holographic" effect on the iPhone by performing real time adjustments to the image based on rotation:

The application works by assuming a constant viewing angle (35-45 degrees), typical for when the device is placed on a tabletop. The 3d scene’s perspective is warped using anamorphosis, the same technique used in Hans Holbein’s painting The Ambassadors. This application does the exact same but updates dynamically.

Our only confusion is its apparent ability to detect rotational information on what appears to be a flat surface. Of course, it's possible that the demo was performed on an angled surface.

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Article Link

[crees!]

One word. Wicked.

[Ade-iMac-177]

That's incredible - i want it!!!!

[yoman]

Pretty neat but as the title states... Is it Real?

[macintosh.apple]

its not in the app store?

[mingisback]

Looks like a hoax to me.

-The iPhone can't sense rotation-

-Looked like that character is imposed on the screen-

-Fun AfterEffects project for some n00b-

[Floppy0]

I think its fake

[KindredMAC]

It isn't that good of a fake job. It still looks like a cat walking in an LCD screen. I didn't get a sense of depth from the video at all.

[zombitronic]

That's a cool effect, but as people are saying, how does it sense rotation? The table would have to be at an angle for this to work at all. I suppose future versions of the iPhone could incorporate an advanced digital compass to help with this.

[The Stig]

I want to believe... but the rotational makes it hard.

When you look at the part where you can see his face on the screen it looks like he behind the cat, and the white of the cat covers him.

So I'm going to call fake... but a nice one at that.

The Stig

[fleshman03]

if it's real ... OMG! I want it.

If it's not real, I want to know how it was done.

Actually, I want to know how it was done either way.

[Yuppi]

Aehm, actually the rotation can be accomplished using the camera....
It kind of looks like it is scanning the background. But I don't know how much light would poke through. Maybe someone can try it. Laying the 3G phone flat on the surface and take a picture.

[Aznsensation45]

omg.. that would be soo cooooolll!!!

[satty]

There's a compass applications in the iTunes store and if that works, it should be possible to let the animated figure walk into specified direction, i.e. North.

Compass Application

[ariel]

the guy seems to be real - as far as i can tell he's an artist who does videos with that cat... here's the page where he announced it on 8/8

http://www.davidoreilly.com/blog/2008/08/ihologram/

he invites iPhone programmers to help. I'm not one so i won't help, but maybe someone can contact him about it.

ETA: the thing that bothers me is the song... first, what is it? secondly, the cat walks in time with the song, is the song part of the application or is it playing in the background in the room while he's filming?

[kcroy]

Looks real to me. Cool.

[Consultant]

The video insert doesn't look realistic.

Most likely a fake.

[FreeState]

I vote real - if you look at the high def video of it you will see a lot more detail (shadows and refections on the screen) and it also makes it fairly obvious that the board or table it is on is slanted and moves as well...

http://www.vimeo.com/1496857?pg=embed&sec=1496857&hd=1

[joshysquashy]

Originally Posted by ariel

the guy seems to be real - as far as i can tell he's an artist who does videos with that cat... here's the page where he announced it on 8/8

http://www.davidoreilly.com/blog/2008/08/ihologram/

he invites iPhone programmers to help. I'm not one so i won't help, but maybe someone can contact him about it.

ETA: the thing that bothers me is the song... first, what is it? secondly, the cat walks in time with the song, is the song part of the application or is it playing in the background in the room while he's filming?

The song is "Like A Pen" by The Knife (iTunes Link)

Looks cool, would install this on the iPhone, even as it currently exists - a demo app.

[happydude]

pretty cool, hope it's real

[ariel]

Originally Posted by joshysquashy

The song is "Like A Pen" by The Knife (iTunes Link)

Looks cool, would install this on the iPhone, even as it currently exists - a demo app.

Awesome - thanks for the link to the song!

I emailed the artist - will let you know if he replies

[plinden]

Hmm, I played around with the accelerometer code a few weeks ago. I'm trying to remember if you could detect such rotation.

I'm going to do a bit of handwaving since I didn't play with it that much.

The UIAccelerometer code returns a value depending not only on the acceleration (ie. movement) but also the orientation of the iPhone, and in all three directions (not just detecting portrait/landscape mode). But leaving it flat on a table and rotating it won't change that underlying orientation information (I think), unless, as MacRumors said, it's on an angled surface.

However, you could detect the movement involved in the starting and stopping of the rotation (since it involves acceleration from and to rest). Perhaps it's doing that - but then you also need to accurately measure the speed of rotation to accurately shift the view.

It would be easier to work with a surface at a known non-zero angle.

[zombitronic]

Originally Posted by satty

There's a compass applications in the iTunes store and if that works, it should be possible to let the animated figure walk into specified direction, i.e. North.

Compass Application

There's no compass in the iPhone and that's not a "real" compass app. It's a static image and you use a stick and sunlight to determine your bearings.

[gcmexico]

fake or not, that eventually will happened...off the hook

[SnowLeopard2008]

a compass is a device or mechanism that points north. the compass free app does point north, although a better version would use gps/wifi triangulation to simulate a compass needle that moves/ points north when launched. but the developer wanted something universal and simple. thus compass free app was born, no triangulation needed. just sunlight/shadow.