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A Star Trek-style holodeck could be closer to reality following the creation of a system that lets people feel holograms with their bare hands.

The system projects 'haptic holograms' into mid-air, allowing users to feel what they are seeing using vibrations in sound waves.

As well as its use in entertainment, the technology could have more practical applications, such as allowing surgeons to explore a CT scan by enabling them to 'feel' a disease.

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The system projects 'haptic holograms' into mid-air, allowing passersby to feel what they are seeing using vibrations in sound waves. As well as its use in entertainment, the technology could have more practical applications, such as allowing surgeons to explore a CT scan by enabling them to feel a disease

The method, developed by Dr Ben Long at Bristol University, uses ultrasound focused on an area immediately above the device.

By focusing complex patterns of ultrasound, the air disturbances can be seen as floating 3D shapes. 

These can be added to 3D displays to create something that can be seen and felt.

The team created the device by improving on a previous version of their UltraHaptics technology, which projected 2D map contours above a screen.

A Star Trek-style holodeck (pictured) could be closer to reality following the creation of a system that lets people feel holograms with their bare hands

To move from outlines on a map to full, three-dimensional shapes, researchers added a Leap Motion sensor to track the position of a user's hands, according to New Scientist.

This means the virtual object projects a direct ultrasound at the correct time so the user feels they are touching an object.

Researchers claim that adding a sense of touch as well as sight, will make it easier to for people to completely lose themselves in virtual reality.

So far, they've successful tests a number of shapes, including spheres and pyramids.

'Touchable holograms, immersive virtual reality that you can feel and complex touchable controls in free space, are all possible ways of using this system,' said Dr Long.

UltraHaptics: Multi-Point Mid-Air Haptic Feedback for Touch...

'In the future, people could feel holograms of objects that would not otherwise be touchable, such as feeling the differences between materials in a CT scan or understanding the shapes of artefacts in a museum.'

The system is similar to one created in October, called HaptoMime, which uses an imaging plate to transform an original image into a floating one.

Infrared sensors then track the position of fingers and an ultrasound machine creates tactile feedback.

This technology could be used to stop the spread of bacteria and germs on touchscreens, to enter PINs on ATMs, for example, or browse the web with wet hands, said its creator Shinoda-Makino Lab at the University of Tokyo. 

The system is similar to one created in October, called HaptoMime, which uses an imaging plate to transform an original image into a floating one. It is so advanced, people can enter multiple numbers on a keypad (left) or play a virtual piano (right)