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Holographic Terminal: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:holoterm_6169.png|link=Dead Space (Franchise)|
So you're in the future [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future|but everything looks pretty much the same.]] No [[Crystal Spires and Togas]], no [[I Want My Jetpack|jetpacks,]] not even [[Space Clothes]] to make fun of. But just to get the point across that this ''is'' the future, walking up to a random soda machine or computer won't reveal any kind of button or screen, instead a [[Holographic Terminal]] will pop up right in front of your nose and suspended in midair!
Similar to the [[Viewer
Normally it might appear near an emitter of some kind, maybe even inside actual pieces of transparent plastic or in the empty space between metallic frames. However they're increasingly turning into the SFX equivalent of Internet pop ups: Appearing without the need for an emitter or any kind of prompting by [[The Smart Guy]] who'll use it. For much the same reason they're more common in [[Cyberspace|VR environments]] and [[The Metaverse|themed worlds.]]
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== Anime & Manga ==
* Practically ''abused'' to its logical extreme in ''[[Macross Frontier]]'': cellphones, toys and advertisements all have projected holographic displays that move around outside the physical boundary of the device emitting them. Military equipment seems "serious" and physical, while commercial electronics indulge in [[Viewer
* Washu in ''[[Tenchi Muyo]]!'' loved using these in everyday life, such as making custom baby-food.
* ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'' used these everywhere. ''Everywhere.'' It also had a lot of fun with the trope by, for example, distorting the video screens in 3-D for comedic effect when the on-screen character was yelling -- and that's just scratching the surface of the many-and-varied hologram gags the series worked in. In the movie, there's a scene where a problem with a space station computer causes flocks of holographic video screens to chase the occupants of the station around. They don't seem to realize that the projections are insubstantial and harmless...
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* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]] StrikerS'' has these everywhere on Midchilda. It seems most mages can have them pop up wherever they need them.
** It should be noted that this includes invisible floating keyboards.
* Variation in ''[[Dennou Coil]]''. Here, the main characters almost constantly wear advanced [
* A lampshade hanging in ''[[Zone of the Enders]]: Dolores, i'': James asks Dolores (the robot's AI) for "full control" of the [[Humongous Mecha|orbital frame]], saying he doesn't need her help to pilot it. Dolores complies and ''floods'' the cockpit with Holographic Terminals of every onboard system. Overwhelmed, he agrees to let her help with micromanaging the systems while he does the piloting and they share strategic thinking.
* ''[[Wolfs Rain]]'' had controls like this, used at least in the first episode to release an artificial being from her lab tank.
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* The holograph star-map in ''[[Wing Commander (Film)|Wing Commander]]'' -- which, come to think of it, would be very practical for a 3D display.
* Most of Ecoban's terminals in ''[[Sky Blue (Film)|Sky Blue]]'' are like this. The Diggers use more mundane interfaces.
* In ''[[Paycheck]]'', the protagonist is a reverse engineer. He buys a new hologram-projecting TV, plugs it into his lab computer. The TV's specs then appear on the transparent wall behind him, revealing that it is a transparent screen like in [[Minority Report]]. He then manipulates the specs with hand gestures. Pretty much a 2-D version of Stark's gear. [[Rule of Cool]] certainly applies, as well as [[Viewer
** And when he finishes that project he decides to ditch the screen for the holo-TV, so it's just a floating projection.
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== Live Action TV ==
* BBC [[Space Opera]] ''[[Blake's Seven
* One of the most breathtakingly cool displays of the Holographic Terminal is the piloting interface for the Companion's ships and Shuttles in ''[[Earth: Final Conflict]]''. A series of gestures replaces the complex switch flipping of modern fighter craft cockpits, and gives the pilot complete control over every aspect of the ship.
* Notably avoided on post-[[Star Trek the Original Series|Original Series]] ''[[Star Trek]]''. On a few occasions, the production staff have tried using holographic free-floating main viewers, but they don't last. The reason: the main viewer is one of the franchise's most common visual elements, and it just felt wrong to replace it with a blank wall. The view screens in the post-TNG era do project in 3-D, however. Whenever a two-way communication is up on the viewer, and the shot angle changes, the view of the other party changes, too. The control panels used in the post-TNG era are actually advanced touch-screens.
** The Arch used to adjust the holodeck in ''[[Star Trek the Next Generation]]'' (later series had them just removing a camouflaged panel and fiddling with the controls physically)(though the arch was just revealing the hidden area just inside the holodeck door).
** Holographic viewers did appear in a few early Next Generation episodes (such as "The Last Outpost") but rarely show up both because of the cost of the effects and the reasons mentioned above.
* The ''[[
* Used in ''[[CSI: Miami]]''. It's also a [[Magical Database]], and they don't even have the [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]] [[Hand Wave]] to fall back on, as on-screen dates show episodes usually occurring on the week of their transmission. To be fair, the tech they use is loosely based on experimental products, and could arguably be considered [[Rule of Perception|visual shorthand]].
** Take a closer look at the background; it's a black room with yellow stripes making a grid on the wall. [[Shout
** And in ''[[CSI]] New York'' as well. Ugh.
** The laser keyboard in the [[Real Life]] section below popped up in one episode, being used by a secretary who wanted to stealth-blog about her employers. She had it connected to a PDA, and just turned it off when it wasn't in use or when someone came by.
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** ''[[Stargate Universe (TV)|Stargate Universe]]'' shows that even the uber-old Destiny has holographics without any kind of visible emitters.
* [[Eureka]] uses this technology, actually reaching out and grabbing the windows and moving them. Actually reaching out and grabbing on and crumbling it up before tossing it into the real trashcan.
* Oddly, since the later (continuity-wise) ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined
* The Visitors in the 2009 remake of ''V'' use interfaces that can be made to appear and disappear with a wave of a hand.
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== Real Life ==
* Real-world semi-example: A [
** While this is undeniably cool technology, you wouldn't want to type on it for long periods of time, since it provides no tactile feedback or "recoil" for your fingers the way a real keyboard does. You're just tapping on a table, and you have to keep your eyes on it to keep your fingers in the right position. Can't beat it for portability, though.
*** The iPhone is showing this isn't quite as bad as one thought, if done really well.
*** People also don't attempt two-handed full-speed touch-typing on iPhones, either - although it's just about possible on an iPad (indeed, the first draft of the current--and rather controversial--38-page [
* There are demonstration technologies to produce the actual floating in the air holographic displays. The difficulty is in the display: the actual interactivity (sensing the hands position and moving the graphics accordingly) is a solved problem, as such systems already exist in the form of infrared sensors.
** And even the displays seem to be a matter of time: [http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_e/latest_research/2006/20060210/20060210.html prototypes] and [http://www.io2technology.com/index.htm actual products] that can create mid-air displays already exist. They're just not cheap or mobile enough... yet.
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[[Category:Magical Computer]]
[[Category:Holographic Terminal]]
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