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Spotted: A team of scientists at Sussex University in the UK has developed a 3D hologram that can talk and interact. The technology could lead to the development of more life-like holograms and interactive entertainment, the team says. 

The hologram, called Multimodal Acoustic Trap Display (MATD), falls short of the talking holograms seen in sci-fi films. But its capacity to talk and interact with people provides an opening for future developments, the team says. 

The scientists created the hologram by moving a 2mm plastic bead so quickly that the human eye could not track it. As ultrasound waves move the bead, the device produces a sound, a principle-based on how old TVs used to work, according to researcher Ryuji Hirayama. The eye only registers the shape made by the bead as it is moving, allowing the hologram to produce a physical sensation. 

The team says eventually the technology could also be developed for use in medicine or in communications.