“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope”, Princess Leia pleaded via hologram in Star Wars. That was exactly 40 years ago. Now, a viral video of Nanjinger Zhou Quan’s handheld fan, that produces 3D hologram images which appear suspended in mid air, has put over 1,000 companies on the phone requesting his products.
The video of the product has had 10 million views on YouTube and 20 million on Chinese video sites, along with 54,000 shares on Facebook.
As a Nanjing Southeast University graduate, Zhou invented the 3D holographic device during days as a student. The invention is made up of tiny LEDs that can project 3D images as they rotate.
Shortly after the video went viral, Zhou and his colleagues founded DseeLab in Nanjing last year. Based on Tongren Lu in Xuanwu District, the company has already sold over 15,000 screens, totalling ¥40 million. They are the first firm in China to successfully develop the holographic 3D screen.
“We call it a ‘holographic 3D smart screen’ and it’s mainly used for advertising”, said Zhou. “The 3D graphics can be seen by the naked eye and it is suitable for advertising in many places, such as exhibitions, shopping malls and airports.” He said that some large automobile, retail and cellphone companies have purchased the device or formed long-term partnerships with the company.
Zhou, 25, joined others who had computer and engineering skills in Nanjing in his third year in college. Their inventions included wheel screens for cars and bikes, and a smart light that can turn on or off according to people’s living habits. Developing the holographic 3D screen was not easy. Each bar contains hundreds of LED bulbs that must flash in complicated patterns while rotating.
“Sometimes I felt that no progress was being made, even though a great amount of money had been spent during the invention process,” Zhou said. “There’s no shortcut, only persistence.”
Yan Ke, the product manager at DSeeLab, while attending the China International Small and Medium Enterprise Fair in Guangzhou, said the products drew great attention.
“We have customers from many countries, such as the US, France and Australia. Our main product, the one going viral on the Internet, has been well received since it started mass production in June.”
The product, about 50 cm in length, sells for ¥3,699 yuan and comes with a remote control and a glass cover. Other models are 65, 100, 120 and 150 cm long, according to the company’s website.
“We are creating screens in larger sizes and in cylindrical shapes to show the 3D effects more clearly”, Yan said.
Princess Leia would be pleased.
