Axiom Holographics
You step into a dark tunnel. The walls light up. A tropical forest appears. You hear a powerful roar. A tiger strides toward you—then POP! It comes out of the screen.
This animal is a hologram—a 3-D image created with beams of light. It appears at an attraction called the Hologram Zoo in Brisbane, Australia. Last year, a new location opened in Manitoba, Canada. Visitors wear special glasses that allow them to see a variety of animals. This is a form of augmented reality (AR)—technology that layers digital elements over a view of the real environment. It allows viewers to feel immersed in, or as if they are a part of, a virtual world.
The Hologram Zoo includes blue whales, chameleons, and more! To add to the immersive experience, speakers play recordings of the animals’ sounds. “The animals pop out at you,” says Tamaryn Osborne. She works for the company that runs the zoo. And the glasses allow you to see both your friends and the animals—just like at a real zoo!