[citation][nom]RayModeler[/nom]im all for innovation....but why the bloody hell do i need to see a 3D hologram of the person im talking to? it's a bloody cellphone not a telepresence system (how the bloody hell are you suppose to perform a 3D digitization of yourself using a cellphone anyways), really if i needed to see a person that much i go see them in person....now if this was something like an interactive version of sony's raymodeller for UI then im all for that[/citation]
Well, the lab is going to experiment. That's how you get new technology. Hell, who knows? maybe they won't find too much that really advances 3D, but what if they experiment and come up with something that can be used somewhere else?
Dupont just recently figured out they could use the Gorilla glass tech they developed half a century ago nearly... New development tech is always good.
What if this research tells techs of the future "they already tried all this... but what if we use the optometric lumonescent inducer fabric they didn't have back then??"
Science and development are based on building on work done before. At least they're trying. If they don't come up with anything, its THEIR money they're using. Unless you're a large enough shareholder with some clout, complaining about a company doing R&D is silly.
And as far as 3D holograms, its entirely possible they find new ways to use these if they are eventually developed. We might not have flying cars in the future, but someone might find a nifty use for them.