Displaying virtual 3D objects with light using computer-generated holography is at the heart of AR/VR and the metaverse. Current methods display virtual 3D objects by projecting many image slices, parallel to each other, and to the plane of the display — thus discretizing the 3D image in the axial direction. This limits the quality and depth perception of the scene. To tackle this limitation, we projected our desired 3D image onto sheets of light that continuously flow away from display just like arrays of lightsabers. By packing many of these structured light threads, we were able to switch on and off each pixel of the target 3D scene. This provides continuous-depth reconstruction with high axial resolution, thereby enhancing the user’s perception. Our method solves many challenges in AR/VR and volumetric displays but could also find use in other applications from light sheet microscopy and optogenetics to optical trapping and free-space communications across the entire spectrum.

This work was done in collaboration with the University of São Paulo and Brazil’s State University of Campinas. For more details, see the publication in Nature Photonics and the Harvard SEAS press release.