Here in the 21st century, it’s only natural to wonder what the future might bring as far as up-and-coming technology. Just look around you, wherever you happen to be, and it quickly becomes clear that the future is now. The average person carries a pocket-sized device capable of accessing all of the world’s information instantly. It’s now commonplace to be able to communicate with people on the other side of the world as easily as you could if they were right there in the same room with you. 

But what's next for the world of projectors in particular? Can the next generation of projection devices be expected to push the same limits as tablets and smartphones? Let’s take a closer look at where modern day projection developers see everything going in the eventual future. Are you as excited about these possible developments as we are?

Increased Portability

We’ve seen projectors becoming more and more lightweight and portable by leaps and bounds over just the past five years. Here in our increasingly mobile society, convenient projection options are only becoming more important. People are busier than ever before and need access to useful options that are convenient and always available. Professionals and laymen alike are demanding projection options that don’t require forethought or come attached to hefty price tags.

Enter the convenience and utility of smartphone-based projectors. The past year or so has already seen options like Samsung’s Galaxy Beam 2 offered to the general public. However, while the Beam 2 and similar alternatives never quite caught on, we can absolutely bet that we haven’t seen the last of the built-in projection device.

Sooner or later, it will most likely be a standard feature on every smartphone and tablet. As future incarnations of the portable mobile projector evolve, we could be seeing a serious shift in how people approach projection on the whole as well.

Holograms, Holograms, Holograms

Every Star Wars fan no doubt remembers being floored by the incredible hologram messages and hologram games featured in the films. Could real life versions of these wonders be a part of the projection’s future as well? Suffice it to say that spectacular hologram projection has already been seen in select places (like Coachella to name just one). Star Wars grade hologram projectors are still probably a long way off as far as the everyday consumer goes, but we’re absolutely making progress.

For instance, there are already projectors out there that allow people to enjoy a 3D viewing experience without the need for 3D glasses. We can expect to see more options like these entering the market in the near future. However, it’s still likely to be a while before high-definition holograms truly do become the new norm. This is mostly due to their high cost at present. Basic holographic projectors still cost thousands of dollars, but it’s only a matter of time before that’s no longer the case.

Interactive Projection Options

By now, most of us are more than familiar with touchscreen technology because it has been the standard for smartphones and mobile tablets for some time now. It only stands to reason that modern day professionals and consumers would be interested in increasingly interactive ways to engage with projected images. After all, we’re literally used to reaching out and touching the images on our various devices.

Current options don’t exactly feature bargain price tags yet, but they’re still incredibly promising. Some projectors are already capable of producing images that mimic functions conveyed via projection surfaces like whiteboards. Viewers can interact with said images via a dedicated stylus or a finger. Other projectors allow information and data generated by the user to be captured and replayed with or without the presence of the original image.

With holograms, fully interactive projected image technology is far from being universally available to the average consumer. However, the technology is definitely existent, available, and on a clear course for further development into the future.

At present, the everyday consumer market can expect to be the main focus to be portability because that's the biggest trend in consumer technology today. Look for convenient and increasingly effective options to start hitting the market soon, possibly in tandem with upcoming mobile device releases. From there, the sky’s the limit! It’s a brave new world in which we’re living, indeed.