The original Star Wars films, later subtitled a New Hope, inspired generations of filmmakers and other creators.
R2-D2's holographic broadcast of Princess Leia Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker was particularly motivating for Taylor Scott.
A scientist who applied for his first patent at the age of 15, Scott is on a mission to bring holograms similar to those created by his beloved droid to the masses.
And Scott's San Diego-based company, founded by IKIN, is on the brink of achieving that goal. During CES, which kicks off on Monday, IKIN will meet with potential sellers and investors about its smartphone accessory in development, which turns device contents into 3D holograms.
“People have been thinking of holographic communication for years as a kind of idealized magical future, and this is actually 2021,” said Scott, currently 28, who is also the chief technology officer of IKIN.
IKIN accessories create 3-D holograms that can be viewed in daylight from Android or iOS smartphones with a specialized proprietary chemical polymer lens - Scott's first patent related to polymers. Most holographic applications, including live performances of holographic versions of Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur and Roy Orbison, are made in dark environments.
When tech exec Joe Ward met Scott in 2017, "he developed a product that would allow holograms to exist in ambient light without hats and glasses," said Ward, who left his then current job to find IKIN with Scott this year.
According to him, they discussed the creation of a projection system that would improve current approaches. But a platform that would allow software developers to use IKIN technology was “really appealing to me,” Ward said.
IKIN will create holographic content on its own - it has already developed games along with technical demos, it is expected that developers of applications for smartphones will license the technology. Consumers will buy an accessory, an investment designed to fit the size of a smartphone so that it “literally becomes a secondary portal to the dimensional world,” Scott said.
For example, you might explore a smartphone photo gallery, similar to wrapping yourself in an art gallery. Select an image and it expands in 3-D and can be manipulated (you can rotate and expand it).
This interaction can be used in games as well, allowing your hand to serve as a controller. Video conferencing calls and meetings can be of real depth. "It has a lot of applications outside of the game," Ward said. "Multi-screen functionality, social media interaction, we're really going to use this whole ecosystem."
IKIN is targeting a smartphone accessory consumer launch later this year. The product, its trade name "RY", has onboard artificial intelligence that customizes the experience for each user and the environment it is used in. “If you tend to use a device a certain way, you're thin, or right-handed or left-handed, it is rendering a hologram to look better for you,” Scott said.
When he saw a demonstration of IKIN's holographic smartphone technology, the clarity surprised James Brehm, founder and analyst at research and consulting firm James Brehm and Associates.
Consumer apps are “not a brain,” he said. But there are many business applications, including 3-D cards in hotels, casinos and amusement parks. Distribution centers could more easily find products or proper storage locations.
He expects interest from smartphone manufacturers and wireless carriers. “Carriers need 5G applications,” Brem said. "It gives them something really cool to build on."
Just as the Apple iPhone was a "paradigm shift" from previous cell phones, IKIN technology "takes interactive and explodes it into a new dimension."
The company is already developing large holographic applications with larger images. IKIN, which has rаised over $ 13 million, is seeking strategic partnerships to raise at least another $ 10 million.
“This is the first iteration of a completely new form of technology. Not only that, but it is a delivery on that conceptual promise (hologram) of Princess Leia, "said Scott." As far as emotional engagement in human experience on a mobile phone is concerned, it is a quantum leap that brings us to this futuristic idea that we are dreamed for years. "