Masahiko Inami read Ghost in the Shell as lab homework and helped build optical camouflage from reflectors and a projector. The world called it an invisibility cloak. He says that name would never have sparked the idea.
NEC and Keio AI Center have developed a technique that turns ordinary smartphone video into a high-fidelity 3D model in as little as one minute. By pairing Gaussian splatting with its own AI, NEC cut generation time to one-tenth and taught the system to erase workers caught on camera. Commercial launch is targeted within fiscal 2027.
NHK STRL and Institute of Science Tokyo have built the world's first transparent hologram that floats full-color 3D images in front of clear glass. A new amplitude-aware design cracks the two old walls of surface-relief holography in one move.
NTT unveiled a world-first technique that uses just a smartphone camera to create illusions of softness and stickiness. How does this 'pseudo-haptics' approach differ from mainstream vibration motors and force feedback, and what problems does it solve?