MIT researchers have unveiled inFORM, a mind-bending, shape-shifting 3D installation that allows users to virtually “interact with digital information by rendering it in three dimensions.” The display itself is comprised of a grid of ‘pins,’ or long square-topped rods, that can be quickly moved up and down to form 3D shapes.
inFORM – Interacting With a Dynamic Shape Display from Tangible Media Group on Vimeo.
Here’s a bit more information about the project from Laughing Squid: “A remote user�s hands can be rendered by the display, allowing the user to manipulate an physical object from a distance. The display can also be used to create 3D data visualizations and models. inFORM is a research project by the Tangible Media Group of the MIT Media Lab.”
Official Source: http://laughingsquid.com/inform-3d-display-can-form-moving-shapes-and-interact-with-physical-objects/