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HoloFans

Short answer: 'Holographic fans' are rotating LED displays. Each blade, or 'ray', carries a strip of LEDs.

As the rotor spins, a controller switches every LED on and off at exact angles, so each sweep paints the picture one slice at a time, and the eye blends the flashes into a steady image. In a dark room the blur of the blades nearly disappears, so the picture seems to float. Single fans use hundreds of LEDs rather than thousands. HYPERVSN's Solo M has four rays of 168 LEDs each (672 in all) spinning at about 670 rpm, and its newer SmartV Solo M lists 216 LEDs per ray and a 1080 x 1080 picture. Displays only reach thousands of LEDs when several fans are synced into a wall. Despite the name, these aren't holograms. Holography, which Dennis Gabor invented in 1947 and won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physics for, records and rebuilds light waves using interference. A fan draws a flat image on the plane of its blades, and the 3D look comes from the artwork's shading. This Reel is Part I of a pair. HoloFans II (DD-700) explains the same mechanism, so this case focuses on hardware numbers and the holography history.

VideoWrite-up5 sources

In collections:Engineering Oddities

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What should you know about HoloFans?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. A HYPERVSN Solo M fan has 672 LEDs on four rays.

    DD-630-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit B (Hundreds, not thousands)

  2. Holography was invented by Dennis Gabor in 1947.

    DD-630-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit E (Not holography)

Video transcript: HoloFans: Pictures Painted in Midair

DID YOU KNOW? Holographic fans use rapidly spinning LED blades to create the illusion of floating 3D images in midair by exploiting the persistence of vision, where the human eye perceives a continuous image from fast, sequential light patterns. As the fan blades spin, thousands of LEDs flash in precisely timed sequences, forming detailed visuals that appear to hover in space. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 20.1s Reel ·

Video coming soonHoloFans · Instagram Reel
HoloFans: Pictures Painted in Midair Instagram Reel · · 20.1s

The write-up

Pictures painted in midair. Spinning LED blades flash fast enough to fool your eyes.

  1. Exhibit A

    One slice at a time

    LED strips on a spinning rotor are switched at exact angles, so each turn paints the image slice by slice.

  2. Exhibit B

    Hundreds, not thousands

    A HYPERVSN Solo M carries 672 LEDs on four rays spinning at about 670 rpm.

  3. Exhibit C

    Sharper models

    The newer SmartV Solo M lists 216 LEDs per ray and a 1080 x 1080 picture.

  4. Exhibit D

    Walls of fans

    Several units can be synced into one big display, which is when LED counts reach the thousands.

  5. Exhibit E

    Not holography

    Dennis Gabor invented holography in 1947 and won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physics. Fans don't use interference at all.

Questions people ask about HoloFans

How many LEDs does a HYPERVSN Solo M fan carry?

Four rays of 168 LEDs.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Hundreds, not thousands) · HYPERVSN operating manual

About how fast do HYPERVSN fans spin?

About 670 revolutions per minute.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Hundreds, not thousands) · HYPERVSN operating manual

Who invented holography?

Gabor, in 1947.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Not holography) · NobelPrize.org: Dennis Gabor, Nobel Prize in Physics 1971 (facts)

When do these displays reach thousands of LEDs?

Multi-unit walls add up the LEDs.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Walls of fans) · invidis (2018): The tech behind those furiously-spinning LED holograph-ish HYPERVSN walls

What picture size does the SmartV Solo M list?

It lists 1080 x 1080.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Sharper models) · HYPERVSN knowledge base: What are key features of the SmartV Solo?

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. How many LEDs does a HYPERVSN Solo M fan carry?

    1. 672
    2. About 60
    3. About 10,000
    4. About 1 million
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. 672 Four rays of 168 LEDs. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Hundreds, not thousands) · HYPERVSN operating manual

  2. About how fast do HYPERVSN fans spin?

    1. About 670 rpm
    2. About 6 rpm
    3. About 67,000 rpm
    4. About 60 rpm
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. About 670 rpm About 670 revolutions per minute. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Hundreds, not thousands) · HYPERVSN operating manual

  3. Who invented holography?

    1. Dennis Gabor
    2. Thomas Edison
    3. Nikola Tesla
    4. Albert Einstein
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Dennis Gabor Gabor, in 1947. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Not holography) · NobelPrize.org: Dennis Gabor, Nobel Prize in Physics 1971 (facts)

  4. When do these displays reach thousands of LEDs?

    1. When several fans are synced into a wall
    2. Always
    3. Only in daylight
    4. Never
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. When several fans are synced into a wall Multi-unit walls add up the LEDs. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Walls of fans) · invidis (2018): The tech behind those furiously-spinning LED holograph-ish HYPERVSN walls

  5. What picture size does the SmartV Solo M list?

    1. 1080 x 1080
    2. 64 x 64
    3. 8K
    4. 640 x 480
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. 1080 x 1080 It lists 1080 x 1080. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Sharper models) · HYPERVSN knowledge base: What are key features of the SmartV Solo?

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "HoloFans." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-630, last updated Aug 2, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/holofans/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/holofans/ · Last updated

Markdown version

Cite a single fact by its ID, for example DD-630-F01 → https://detailenjoyer.com/case/holofans/#DD-630-F01

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