A cardiology display forms a real interference-based hologram

What you see

In a catheterisation lab, a physician stands beneath a unit suspended above them and sees a full-colour, three-dimensional image of a patient's own anatomy, drawn from that patient's CT or 3D ultrasound scan, appearing to float in open space at arm's reach, with no headset or goggles. RealView's own announcement of FDA clearance states the physician can reach into the image and interact with it directly.

How it works

RealView's own technology page calls its Digital Light Shaping technology 'true interference-based holography,' distinct from stereoscopy: the system takes 3D scan data, computes the interference pattern a real hologram of that shape would produce, and uses Spatial Light Modulators to shape light into that pattern in real time, which the company calls 'Live Holography.' Its FDA-clearance release states the finished HOLOSCOPE-i product suspends this optics in an 'over-the-head' configuration, 'without the need for any head-mounted device, special eyewear or interaction tools,' so the shaped light itself, not a headset screen, forms the image in the room.

Viewing conditions and limits

RealView's own comparison table states its holograms have 'numerous and dynamic focus planes' and no 'vergence-accommodation conflict,' the mismatch between where an image appears and where the eyes must focus that it says causes headaches with competing displays; this is the company's own comparison against unnamed 'commercial Augmented Reality solutions,' not an independently verified test. Neither page states a maximum viewer count, image size, or viewing angle. In the United States specifically, RealView's own August 2021 release states it received FDA 510(k) clearance for the HOLOSCOPE-i system using CT and 3D-ultrasound data, a clearance for that device and use, not a general safety claim about the technology.

What it is not

This is not the angled-reflection trick, lenticular panel, or rotating-fan mechanism described elsewhere in this guide. RealView's own technology page contrasts its 'interference-based holography' with 'commercial Augmented Reality solutions' it says 'freely use the term HOLOGRAM' while relying only on stereoscopy, a claim reported here as RealView's own characterisation of unnamed competitors, not an independently verified comparison.

• How many people can view the same floating hologram correctly at once, and from what range of positions?
• Exactly what does the FDA clearance cover: which imaging inputs, procedures, and product configuration?
• Is there an independent, peer-reviewed comparison between this approach and competing stereoscopic displays, beyond the company's own published comparison?

RealView's own pages and a specific 2021 device clearance describe true interference-based holography built for one clinical task, a narrower and better-documented claim than 'medical holography' alone would suggest.