3D Printed Device Turns your Smartphone into a 3D Hologram

Gianluca Pugliese has become rather prolific in his 3D printing endeavors over the last four years. As his portfolio has expanded, he’s decided not only to work on documenting and archiving his work, but also has gone down a path of further experimentation. This is displayed in his latest work, which explores 3D printing with transparent objects–as in holograms.

An art unto itself, holography has long been a source of fascination for many. Through this method, one has the ability to see an image in what has long been considered one of the most futuristic technologies, although they have been in use for quite some time and were most famously a favorite medium of Salvador Dalí as an extension of his interest in the use of optics. A photographic source which allows for perfect representation of texture as well as detail and shape in 3D, Pugliese was inspired by some other designs which led him to make the 3D printed pyramid in ABS, allowing a venture into the world of the holograph.

A 3D printing designer from Italy, Pugliese decided enough years had gone by without better recording his work.

“Now, it is time to change and I decided to document all my new things,” Pugliese told 3DPrint.com. “So, during the last weeks I worked with lot on materials and especially on how to make a 3D printed object really transparent.  This is because I saw on instructables a project based on a simple plastic pyramid used in order to see a hologram created by a smartphone and I decided to make it 3D printable!”

It’s easy to see why Pugliese wanted to take on this project, which results in a picture of ethereal beauty, appearing almost fragile in the images produced by his 3D printed pyramid. After seeing an Instructable for a plastic pyramid, Pugliese took member microGanesh’s lead, whose pyramid is easily constructed simply from a clear plastic sheet.  However, Pugliese’s is 3D printed in transparant ABS, as seen in the video below.

If you want the easiest route available, you could just trace out the four pyramid walls, from the clear plastic, like microGanesh suggests, creating the 3D geometric shape with tape. The tip of the pyramid should be one centimeter square.  This will allow you to view the holographic shapes from a required light source–by way of your smartphone–just fine. All you need for the whole project is the plastic sheet, scissors, tape, and your phone.

“Place your pyramid in an inverted position in the center of the cross hairs you see in the beginning the video, dim the lights and see them pop up your screen,” instructed microGanesh.

For Pugliese, this was the perfect design, but he really nailed the project by having it roll off the 3D printer with a sturdy apparatus for capturing desired holographic images. His 3D print allows for the virtual capture of images such as tiny butterflies or birds–fluttering in colorful display just inside–in perfect 3D. While the pyramid is obviously easily completed with a plastic sheet, Pugliese has made something not just creative, but also permanent, which can be used with any variety of mobile holograph apps.

While we’ve reported on previous 3D printed holographic headsets and holographic systems being produced via mathematical systems and 3D printers in the classroom, as well as items such as holographs of our beloved Beatle Paul McCartney being reproduced in 3D print, this is one of the most concise shortcuts we’ve seen–not to mention a short list of materials needed–for checking out cool holographs with the help of your smartphone. It’s a modern project revamping the use of a fascinating art and photographic form in an impressively streamlined way.

In addition to this 3D printed version, which Pugliese created, 3DShare user, Brian Ferrara also created a 3D printable base for those who wish to create their holographic systems out of CD cases like microGanesh suggests.

Tell us your thoughts on this creative new way to check out holographs in 3D right from your phone in the 3D Printed Holograph Viewer forum thread over at 3DPB.com. The original creation for the non-3D printed smartphone 3D hologram can be see in the video below.