A glowing image resembling a futuristic hologram floats in mid-air. This is a 3D volumetric display. Using a tiny particle suspended in laser light, researchers have been able to create high resolution, colour images that take up real 3D space. Developing this technology could lead to the kind of complex, interactive displays common in science fiction.

Read the story: Physicists create Star Wars-style 3D projections — just don’t call them holograms

Read the paper: A photophoretic-trap volumetric display