There are loads of videos on YouTube showing you how to make a hologram projector for your phone. Most of them involve the use of graph paper, a craft knife, a CD case, a ruler, actual maths and other bits and bobs that you may or may not be allowed to play with unsupervised. (I’m 32 and I still can’t be trusted with a craft knife.) Our idiot’s guide to creating a hologram projector for your phone requires simply a pair of scissors, a piece of sellotape, a marker pen and a bit of seethrough plastic that’s flimsy enough to bend (and easy to cut), and sturdy enough not to fall apart. We used the plastic packaging from a pair of headphones. Read on for our simple guide to creating a hologram projector.
Step 2
You could follow the various how to videos on YouTube that show you how to precisely measure and cut each section of your smartphone projector using some graph paper, a ruler, a bit of maths and a craft knife. Okay, let’s be honest. We tried that. It didn’t work. We blame the video. Really, all you need is to cut out a pentagon from a bit of plastic, lop off one of the five sides, then cut out a smaller pentagon from the centre so that it will sit up when folded into a funnel. You can do that by hand, or you can print out the template we’ve created to the side of this step and use it as a guide. Just right-click it and choose Save Image As… or Print.
Step 3
Find a piece of plastic that’s thin enough to bend and cut, and sturdy enough not to fall apart. Place it over the template to ensure that it’s big enough. (If it’s not, print the template again at a reduced scale, or find a bigger bit of plastic.)
Step 4
With a marker pen put a dot on the plastic at each point of the pentagon.
Step 5
Cut out your pentagon simply by joining the dots with a pair of scissors.
Step 6
Carefully bend each of the four remaining segments of your pentagon so that your piece of plastic begins to resemble a funnel.
Step 7
Finally, take a piece of sellotape and stick the edge of the first segment to the edge of the last. You now have a hologram projector.
Step 8
Find an appropriate video, then place your projector on your phone’s screen. Turn off the lights, shut the curtains and admire the view from the side. Our photo was taken in the middle of the office as we hid under a coat, but you get the idea. Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
