Jeri Ellsworth, former head of Valve’s hardware division, has launched a Kickstarter project for CastAR a “projected augmented reality system that displays holographic-like 3D projections right in front of you”.

Ellsworth has teamed up with ex-Raven developer Rick Johnson, are hoping to raise $400,000 and have so far got over $100,000 since launch this morning.

“castAR includes a very fast and highly precise tracking solution, allowing you to change your experience by holding your 3D world in place while you are free to move around in it.”

The castAR aims to bridge the gap between the physical and virtual world, by using two unique peripherals: the Magic Wand and the RFID Tracking Grid. “The Magic Wand is new kind of controller that lets you position things in space and control them with a joystick, all with one hand. The RFID Tracking Grid allows you to uniquely identify, track, and augment physical objects (such as miniatures, cards, and board game pieces) across the surface.”

It works though two micro-projectors, one for each eye, which casts a perspective view of a stereoscopic 3D image onto the surface.

“A tiny camera in-between the projectors scans for infrared identification markers placed on the surface. The camera uses these markers to precisely track your head position and orientation in the physical world.”

Watch the pitch video below to find out a little more.

The Kickstarter for the castAR is running for the next month. Will you be pledging? Let us know in the comments.