The concept of volumetric 3D projection was popularised in the Star Wars film in which the robot R2D2 produced a holographic projection of Princess Leia for Luke Skywalker.
Andre Rossouw, a technology specialist at Rectron, examines the concept of holographic projection and reveals how far the IT industry is away from the production of commercially viable 3D images.
While it was no more than a special effect in the Star Wars movie, achieving an apparently life-like "Princess Leia" 3D image or hologram is the ultimate goal of many in the projection and presentation industries today.
The benefits to the arts and entertainment industries of such an invention would be enormous. There would also be significant spin-offs for advertising and promotions professionals. They have long realised that there is magic associated with holograms.
Whether you support this view or not, there is no doubt that the duplication of the Princess Leia effect - a real life 3D projection - has presented a significant challenge to the scientific world.
Walking, talking hologram
The early holograms of some three decades ago were visible only in darkened rooms with no possibility for animation. Subjects were limited to bright, small, solid objects.
As the technology evolved, so the barriers to a "walking, talking" holographic projection began to fall. Step by step holographic technologies were refined and improved.
Today some of the proposed techniques are very good indeed, but the methods that are commercially available generally fall short of the Princess Leia model from at least one critical perspective: they do not permit a person to walk around the image and view it from all sides.
3D space
Nevertheless, several methods have been successfully developed to project images into 3D space. Whether or not they are capable of creating the illusion of an image suspended in space is moot.
Some methods permit movement of the image, others are volumetric (having apparent depth).
Probably one the best motivations for development in this arena is the demand from PC users for more desktop working space. Already PC, printer and other desktop device footprints are as small as they are likely to get. What is required is a quantum leap into... thin air.
It is no secret that companies are working on holographic projection devices that would display PC output in virtual space. The results would be similar to the "heads-up displays" that fighter pilots rely on.
While there is no sign of the commercial availability of this idea, it nevertheless represents a large leap forward.
While embracing this idea, IBM has, more practically, revealed details of a thin, flexible, gossamer light computer screen that "floats" in space above the keyboard.
This has been documented in the Science journal. IBM`s technique uses layers of organic and inorganic chemicals, together with a compound called phenethylammonium tin iodide, to produce a layer of material thinner than a human hair.
Latest advances
Many industry specialists believe the "Princess Leia" effect has been achieved - if only in prototype testing. A Canadian company has applied for a patent for a cylindrical projection device that produces what the inventor refers to as "an upright orthoscopic real image".
This image (the hologram) can be combined with - and interact with - real images if required. To date there has been no sign of a working model.
Another pioneer in this field is US-based Laser Magic. This company claims it can create life-sized holograms of moving people and objects. Its large format holograms have been used in theme parks, casinos, museums and trade shows.
However, the sceptics are only to ready to point out that many of its solutions require image projection onto a moving transparent screen. Other images require the viewer to wear polarized 3D glasses.
Cutting-edge
One company that believes it has reached the "Princess Leia" goal is Holographics North in the US. It has developed a "stereogram printer" that is designed to support the integration of computer models with live subjects and animation, using images of varying sizes.
The company claims its cylindrical hologram facility produces the largest 360-degree holograms ever made - images literally hovering in space, viewable from all directions.
Details have also been revealed of a top-secret project undertaken for the US military by New York`s Dimensional Media.
The military wanted a true, volumetric 3D display that didn`t require special glasses or complex electronics. Dimensional Media developed a solution based on a system of mirrors and lenses. The object whose image is being projected sits inside a pedestal, which projects the object`s light into space above the pedestal, where the image is reformed.
The effect is as if the object is hovering above the pedestal`s surface.
The Russians are coming
But the US is not the only country that can boast of holographic technology advances. Recently, the Russians revealed details of a 3D teller-machine whose "buttons" floated in space in front off the viewer.
To activate the system`s virtual buttons, the user simply pointed a finger at the image of the button. The system uses a grid of infrared lights to calculate the position of the user`s finger.
The last example of modern holographic advances highlights the world`s first working volumetric 3D computer monitor. Aimed at medical applications, it is designed to project X-ray or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data in 3D, creating a precise image of the inside of a patient`s skull and the location of, say, a tumour.
The display could then overlay another image onto the patient`s actual skull, highlighting the exact location for surgery.
Just as the loyal, courageous droid R2D2 carried Princess Leia`s desperate message for help, so holograms could become the media for the carrying the messages of millions to hundreds of millions in the future.
The limitations of its current form are easily excused by the benefits of its long-term commercial viability.
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