From smartphones to game systems, 3D is making its way into many of the gadgets we use. But while the technology is viewed as gimmicky by some, it may actually be building up to something much more important — lifelike holograms. In a new profile at Humans Invent, Sharp Labs Europe research supervisor Jonathan Mather explains that the increased adoption of 3D will only help the technology become more ubiquitous, which in turn will allow it to both improve and become a bigger part of our everyday lives. The ultimate goal, he says, is "a display that shows images that are indistinguishable from reality," and he believes that it could be as little as four decades away. Which means that in 40 years the holodeck could finally be real.