Pictures in the Air: 3-D Printing with Light

Suspended in midair like science fiction holograms, a new technology can create high-resolution 3-D light displays. Nature Video finds out how it works.

This video was reproduced with permission and was first published on January 24, 2018. It is a Nature Video production.

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


A glowing image resembling a futuristic hologram floats in mid-air. This is a 3D volumetric display. Using a tiny particle suspended in laser light, researchers have been able to create high resolution, colour images that take up real 3D space. Developing this technology could lead to the kind of complex, interactive displays common in science fiction.

Read more at: http://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-01125-y

And find the original paper at: www.nature.com/nature/journal/v553/n7689/full/nature25176.html

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe