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Mind-bending room-sized display uses foam blocks as pixels

Jonpasang
Jonpasang

Movie theaters might promise the illusion of 3-D, but this one-of-a-kind screen actually extends outward, using thousands of mechanically controlled foam cubes.

Called Hyper-Matrix, the installation by media group Jônpasang is hypnotic to watch, even in video form. It was created as part of a Hyundai exhibition in Korea; you can watch the whole show below:

An audience-level view of the show can be seen on the creator's Vimeo channel here, where you can also find a brief making-of video.

The blocks themselves are made of Styrofoam, and are fitted into an enormous grid of pneumatic pistons. Each has its own logic board and wiring that is centrally controlled to create the seamless motion you see displayed in the presentation. And since they're white, they double as a projection screen.

Don't expect to see this technology coming to your local cineplex, though; as the making-of video shows, it was a very complicated construction process and probably won't be duplicated elsewhere any time soon. A little more information and some pictures can be found at Jônpasang's website.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.