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I kept seeing this trick pop up online: people projecting 3D holograms from their phones using nothing but a glass dish and plastic. I thought it had to be fake, edited in post, the kind of internet hack that looks great but doesn't actually work in real life.I decided to try it myself just to see. Five minutes later, I had a working 3D hologram that actually looked magical with the lights turned off. It's genuinely impressive how well this works. It's not a true hologram. It's technically an optical illusion, but it looks close enough that it's immediately satisfying.Better yet, it takes minutes to set up and costs almost nothing. As silly as it might be, this is easily the most fun you can have with your phone and some household items. Here's how it's done.What you'll needYour smartphone: The brighter, the better. Any phone will do, but a device with high peak brightness will make the hologram pop.A clear glass dish: Snag a square or rectangular container roughly the size of your phone. Skip the round bowls — flat edges are the secret to a crisp reflection.Clear plastic film: You don't need anything fancy here. An old overhead transparency sheet, a clear plastic product packaging lid, or even a plastic screen protector works perfectly.Tape and scissors: Just standard household tape to lock your DIY rig together.
