While not on par with what R2D2 has been doing on the big screen since 1977, an ambitious team of Japanese researchers are hard at work on a gadget capable of displaying 3D images without any special glasses. The gCubik, still at the prototype stage, is a 3.9-inch cube built using liquid crystal displays containing "many tiny lenses." The team envisions the gCubik being used to beam images of love ones into your hand.

"The ultimate image we have in mind is having a small person in your palm. Suppose you have a picture of your girlfriend smiling on your desk. She could be smiling as a 3D image in a cube," said Shunsuke Yoshida, one of the researchers.

When not chatting with that online romance you met from MySpace, imagine heading over to Newegg and virtually holding that swank new CPU cooler. Shopping at Amazon would be a completely different experience, and you can bet more than a few adult sites would find uses for 3D images.

As it stands, the gCubik can only works with still images, but that could change in time. Yoshida said the team has set a goal of putting the device to practical use within three years, by which time they hope to improve picture quality, make the device wireless, and add sound.

Image Credit: Gizmodo

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