A California-based firm today unveiled a futuristic projector that projects video onto thin air. The Heliodisplay, developed by IO2 Technology, is designed to display any video source in high-resolution without the need for a screen.

Viewers can walk around, or even through, the floating image, something possible only in science fiction until now, the technology's creator claimed. They can also move the image from the projector in mid-air with their fingers, allowing a PC cursor to be controlled by hand, without the need for special gloves.

"IO2 Technology is opening a new frontier in video display technology," said Philip Liang, a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, who bought two units immediately after previewing the Heliodisplay.

Heliodisplays are available with diagonal projecting image sizes from 22 to 42 inches.

Dyner declined to comment on future releases, but said that a "strong product pipeline" is in development.

Consumer reaction to the units, which went on the sale today after a year of development, has been extremely enthusiastic, Chad Dyner, CEO of IO2, said: " Based on the initial reaction and feedback we've received, the consumer and commercial applications for Heliodisplay are endless."