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iHologram looks to provide minutes of extreme coolness

August 22, 2008 by Dr. Macenstein
Filed under: iPhone

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I’m not sure what you are supposed to do with this, but I know I want it.

iHologram - iPhone application from David OReilly on Vimeo.

Now, assuming this is not a very well-made hoax, iHologram by David O’Reilly is one of the coolest useless apps I have seen.

“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 then warped using anamorphic perspective, making the object appear to jump off the screen.

The software uses the ipodâ€™s built-in gyroscope to calculate rotation on the y-axis, so we can look around the environment around by turning the device, there are also controls for manual rotation with a slider on the left hand side of the screen.”

I still can’t tell for sure how the iPhone can sense its rotation on a flat surface so well (is the accelerometer really that sensitive?) but if legit, then I want to play with this constantly walking kitty.

I’m not sure how much “replay value” this has, although I initially thought the same thing about Koi Pond. But certainly, the underlying technology shown here in iHologram, if applied to a more fully realized game, could prove to be killer.

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Comments

10 Comments on iHologram looks to provide minutes of extreme coolness

Tom on Fri, 22nd Aug 2008 5:57 pm

The accelerometers are pretty darn sensitive - they can poll at least a 100 times a second if the developer tweaks the settings, and the user is twisting the phone round a fair bit. A similar way could be through a in built compass, which I/O for Android demoed, but at a coarser grain for the Street View Android demo.

Rowlings on Fri, 22nd Aug 2008 5:58 pm

I can haz holographic cats?

iRono on Fri, 22nd Aug 2008 6:00 pm

I cannot be completely sure for the iPhone, but the way accelerometers usually work definitely cannot provide you this rotation around the Y axis. You only know when the phone is tilted. For me it’s a fake. Unfortunately

Andi on Fri, 22nd Aug 2008 6:10 pm

I wrote an App for the iPhone (will be in the App Store shortly) that uses the Accelerometers in a similar way. While iRono is theoretically right, fortunately the sensors of the iPhone do not sit directly in the middle of the device (if so, no rotation can be measured), but a little outside of the center.
From my experience I would say that an accurate rotation measurement like this is non-trivial, but can be done.

nonnus on Fri, 22nd Aug 2008 9:47 pm

i am also an iphone developer with some experiences with accelerometers
they are indeed quite sensitive and are able to catch this rotation thru acceleration, not in a regular motion like the one on the video where acceleration is close to 0
it is possible to isolate gravity from accel data but this kind of movement will not be detected
my veredict: busted !

Josh on Fri, 22nd Aug 2008 10:00 pm

I heard someone suggest that maybe the camera senses rotation on a surface?
There’d have to be some way for the camera to sense light under the iPhone though.
Maybe with the more curved back on the 3G?

anon on Sat, 23rd Aug 2008 12:57 am

it’s either a hoax, or the surface the iPhone is on is not actually level, but an angled surface, like a podium, if it were at the same angle that a person would naturally hold the phone at then the whole presentation would make sense, and not be fake…

Smarty Pants on Sat, 23rd Aug 2008 3:51 am

Ok seriously, did anyone not notice that this an iPod Touch?

j on Sat, 23rd Aug 2008 6:07 am

IF TRUE …

wonderful! imagine watching a string quartet performing from every angle to observe the bowing etc

if ever this hits appstore I would buy an iphone just for that!

infopoint to developer - i’d happily pay $50 for such!

well done!

chuck on Sun, 24th Aug 2008 10:27 am

It’s an admitted fake, a demonstration of an idea. From the animator’s website-

“The iHologram app was not real. It was an illustration of an idea I had which I believe could work with the technology (combining anamorphosis and motion sensing).”

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