Ask the Expert on the Future of Holographic Technology Industry
Computer-generated holography (CGH) represents the frontier of display technology, leveraging digital computations to craft stunning, lifelike 3D visuals by precisely controlling light at the pixel level.
Unlike conventional 3D graphics or augmented reality that rely on two-dimensional screens, CGH projects images with true depth and dimensionality, allowing viewers to experience visuals as if they were real, with accurate parallax and texture.
This technology holds transformative potential across sectors like medical imaging, automotive displays, and consumer electronics, where it can create immersive, high-fidelity visual experiences.
One particular Cambridge-based company is pushing the boundaries of display technology. Led by Co-founder and CEO Darran Milne, VividQ is driven by a long-term vision to make holographic displays a reality in consumer electronics, establishing itself as the go-to provider in the holographic display space.
General Partner Wolfgang Neubert sat down with Darran to gain a deeper understanding of the future of the holographic technology industry and VividQ vision.
Under Darran’s leadership, VividQ focuses on commercializing groundbreaking research in holography, helping to unlock its potential for applications in gaming, augmented reality, and beyond.
As a trained mathematician and theoretical physicist, Darran earned his PhD in quantum information theory and quantum optics from the University of St Andrews and the Max Planck Institute. His background in quantum science empowers him to guide VividQ’s strategic and technical innovations, like displaying retina-resolution holograms using 4K LCoS technology from JVCKENWOOD, underscoring the company’s commitment to high-fidelity visual experiences.
TL:DR
Computer-generated holography (CGH) enables lifelike 3D images with true depth, poised to reshape sectors from automotive displays to AR/VR, where traditional 2D screens fall short.
Led by CEO Darran Milne, VividQ is advancing the commercialization of holographic displays for consumer electronics, leveraging unique technology innovations and key industry partnerships to lead in this space.
VividQ envisions holography as a key interface for emerging tech fields like AI and spatial computing, with applications that could redefine how we interact with digital content, creating immersive, intuitive, and accessible visual experiences in everyday life.
CEO Darran Milne, VividQ
Wolfgang Neubert (WN): In what industries or sectors do you see the most potential for holographic technology to impact significantly?
Darran Milne (DM): Holographic display could potentially replace most current displays. As it presents intrinsically 3D images, the visuals are more intuitive and can be integrated seamlessly with the real world. Anywhere you currently use a display, from your smartphone - which could project a 3D image of a person on a video call, to your gaming laptop - allowing you to "look through a window" into a 3D holographic environment, even potentially home entertainment systems, where your entire room is a holographic environment that places you in the middle of the action.
The display market is valued at over $330BN, and we believe this will be the dominant technology replacing traditional 2D screens across most user applications.
In the near term, holographic displays will most significantly impact the automotive heads-up display (HUD) and AR/VR hardware industries. The technology brings huge benefits to these applications and solves several major challenges that have slowed their mass adoption.
VividQ was founded in Cambridge (UK) in 2017 to commercialize major breakthroughs and bring holography to consumer electronics
WN: How do you envision holographic technology being used in everyday life in the near future?
DM: In the first instance, it's likely your car will have a holographic heads-up display (HUD) that projects super bright, 3D images on the windshield to provide improved safety, hazard warnings, and navigation without having to look at the central console or your phone. The holographic HUD can be much smaller than traditional HUDs, and so can be fitted into a wider range of mid-size and even economy cars.
The next versions of VR headsets will use holography to provide a more comfortable VR experience, allowing you to play for hours without experiencing the usual VR sickness. This will drive VR towards being a mainstream (rather than the current niche) gaming platform.
Looking a little further ahead, your phone may be replaced entirely by holographic AR glasses that provide true world-locked content due to the true 3D capabilities of the display - something impossible with today's tech.
WN: Can you share your insights on the potential societal impact of mainstream holographic displays?
DM: Holographic display provides a completely new medium for entertainment, productivity, and art. With this, one can create fully immersive experiences without needing headsets. What you see when watching a holographic TV show will depend on your position in the room - you'll see different things from someone else's perspective.
In the short term, the mass adoption of AR that holographic display enables may change user habits - more people will be using spatial computing rather than interfacing via a phone/laptop screen.
WN: What vision does VividQ have for the convergence of holographic technology with other emerging tech fields?
DM: AR (specifically 3D holo AR) is the natural visual interface for genAI. Right now, we interact with AI via typed commands or audio, but, we are very visual beings, so a display-based AI would be far more intuitive and allow us to better integrate the output from AI into our environment.
Holography will take advantage of new display hardware technologies, including graphene and tunable meta-material displays.
VividQ is entering the era of true 3D
WN: What are some of the most innovative or groundbreaking applications of holographic technology that you've seen recently?
DM: The only commercial application of holography (aside from VividQ) is within the auto Heads Up Display (HUD) industry. Some holography HUDs have been deployed in some Jaguar E-Pace cars. Jaguar has been at the forefront of integrating advanced HUDs into their vehicles. The Jaguar E-Pace features a holographic HUD that directly projects vital driving information—such as speed, navigation, and safety alerts—onto the windshield. This allows drivers to access essential data without diverting their attention from the road, enhancing both safety and user experience.
WN: How is VividQ's partnership with industry leaders like JVCKenwood enhancing the development of holographic technology in VR and AR?
DM: JVC supplies Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) display components, which are one of the building blocks of our holographic displays. They are a key partner for customizing display components, especially for our application, and are pivotal as a channel partner to help us access potential customers.
WN: How is VividQ leveraging the rapid growth of spatial computing to lead the expansion of extended reality (XR) into industries beyond gaming, such as sports, entertainment, and everyday activities?
DM: We are not directly involved with the content side. However, the renewed interest in AR and associated technologies is certainly useful in customer and investor discussions. We are making the most of this to push our products and have recently hired a US VP of Sales to take advantage.
VividQ is pioneering a new era of VR with interactive UI
WN: In what ways does VividQ redefine human-machine interaction beyond traditional headsets?
DM: Creating fully 3D images in mid-air enables people to reach out and interact directly with the holograms without needing headwear. This, combined with the integration of AI, will make for a highly intuitive interface that puts users inside their data.
WN: What makes the VividQ technology unique?
DM: No other company (that we know of) has made such large advances in true holographic display. There are many "holographic" display companies that have created products that attempt to mimic the holographic display effect, but they always fall short of the full experience.
Unlike other products that simulate a holographic effect, VividQ delivers a fully immersive experience through the industry's fastest hologram algorithms and exceptional image quality.
Our compact and efficient display designs support a wide range of applications, from headsets and automotive HUDs to larger direct-view displays and smart glasses. Additionally, VividQ integrates seamlessly with game engines like Unity and Unreal, allowing for straightforward 3D content production across different devices and formats. This versatility makes VividQ a leader in holographic display technology, able to meet diverse industry needs with unmatched efficiency and clarity.
VividQ’s demonstrator of SDK capabilities for real-time rendering of holograms and outcome.
This demonstrator allowed the company to record a video, where a pink elephant was projected onto a beam-splitter, creating a true augmented reality experience with holography, which started VividQ’s journey toward the ultimate AR wearable device pictured below. (photo credits: VividQ)
This technology will reshape entertainment, productivity, and human-machine interaction as it converges with AI, spatial computing, and advanced materials. VividQ's vision is to be at the forefront of this shift, leading the commercialization of holography and integrating it into next-gen devices and applications.
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