What is Holographic Technology?
Holographic technology is a mouth-dropping technology. Interestingly, there are lots of applications of holographic technology in our world today. If you would want to know how holographic technology operates, then you should read through this guide, because we have simplified and made it easy to grasp.
What is Holographic Technology?
A hologram is a sophisticated photography method. In easy terms, a hologram is a technique of making a three-dimensional (3D) projection of any object using light or laser beams visible to human eyes. There is no need for glasses, a camera, or any other special equipment to see these 3D items.
The best part about a holographic display is that it looks to be a real item that may move and float in the air when a person rotates. We can view things from every angle. This technique has the potential to revolutionize digital presentation.
Holography, also known as hologram technology, is the next level of photography method that records the light dispersed from an item and then projects it as a three-dimensional (3D) object that can be seen without the use of any additional equipment.
From transmission holograms to rainbow holograms to 3D holograms, several types of holograms have emerged. The fascinating aspect of 3D holograms is that they enable presumably genuine objects or animations to appear to hover in mid-air or stand on a nearby surface.
Furthermore, it is viewable from all sides, allowing a user to wander around the display and construct a realistic-looking image. Holograms have been a dream of technology and entertainment corporations, as well as customers since Jules Verne originally proposed the concept in 1893.
However, the public desire for such gadgets peaked forty years ago, when Princess Leia emerged as a floating picture in Star Wars. Unfortunately, it appeared for many years that such things would be limited to the realms of science fiction. The difficulties of constructing a 3D picture out of thin air looked overwhelming.
How Does It Work?
In essence, a holographic display works by having a high-definition or 4K screen reflect digital content through glass with a special coating, called glass optics. When placed at a certain angle, the glass optic will create an illusion that makes your brain interpret the digital content as three-dimensional. This is what creates the sensation of seeing a free-floating hologram before your eyes.
Applications of Holographic Technology
Holographic technology is used in a variety of ways, across several industries. The list below includes some of the most popularized examples:
Telecommunications
In 2017, Verizon (USA) and Korea Telecom (South Korea) made the first holographic call using 5G technology. To make the call possible, two holograms were formed. Both are fully capable of conveying the user’s emotions and gestures.
Education
In 2015, the Nobel laureate and professor of physics at Stanford University, Karl Wieman, spoke at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) without leaving the United States.
In 2013, St George’s University of London introduced holograms capable of displaying the working organs of a human body. The presentation showcased three-dimensional images of kidneys four meters in length, a skull, and other parts of the body.
Spatial navigation
In 2017, scientists from the Munich University of Technology developed a method for obtaining three-dimensional holograms using a Wi-Fi router. The method described in the study allows for creating copies of premises by displaying objects around them. This technology can be used to find and rescue victims trapped under an avalanche or within collapsed buildings.
Data Storage
Using holographic data storage techniques a large amount of information can be stored inside high-density crystals or polymers. The advantage of this kind of data storage is to use the entire volume of the recording medium, not just it’s surface. Researchers believe that with the right type of polymers as a recording medium, gigabit per second writing speed and one terabit per second readout are also possible. Therefore, holographic storage has the potential to become the next generation of storage media.
Marketing and direct sales
Product holograms are a new marketing ploy to grab the attention of customers. With the help of a hologram, you can enlarge a 3D copy of a product and make it viewable from all sides. This is convenient for customers who want to see their desired purchase in full detail.
In 2017, Barbie presented a holographic robotic doll that responds to voice commands. The toy was able to respond to questions about the weather and discuss other topics.
Medicine and Imaging
Hologram technology is on its way to revolutionizing medicine. It has the capability to produce a full-color 3D hologram of the human body. Students and doctors can visualize three-dimensional images of complex organs like the brain, heart, liver, lungs, nerves, and muscles. This technology can also help in surgical pre-planning.
Before real surgery, the surgeon can fully visualize the entire course of the operation and thereby increase the chances of a successful outcome for patients. Digital holographic microscopy makes it possible to perform cell counting and analysis of subcellular motion deep in living tissue. It also supports simultaneous imaging at different depths. The return of historical figures
In 2012, Digital Domain studio, specializing in VFX for de-aging Hollywood stars in movies, brought Tupac Shakur back to life as an exceptional 3D hologram. Using an actor and body double, they created animations for a lifelike digital avatar of Tupac. In 2014, Tupac appeared at Coachella in his digital human form.
As with Tupac or any other educational project such as creating a virtual history museum, producing holograms requires additional planning and coordination. First, these holograms are created based on the use of unique digital avatars for individuals who left us a long time ago.
In the Military
Hologram technology is greatly assisting in the study map of the surgical location in the military. This technology makes it easy to research and settle on a plan. It aids in learning more about the criticality of the spot to enter and how to escape the surgical area when the surgery is completed
Types of Holographic Technology
There are many types of holograms, and there are varying ways of classifying them. For our purpose, we can divide them into three types: reflection holograms, transmission holograms, and hybrid holograms.
Reflection Hologram
The mirror image hologram, in which a truly 3D image is seen near its surface, is the most common type shown in galleries. The hologram is illuminated by a “spot” of white incandescent light, held at a specific angle and distance, and located on the viewer’s side of the hologram. Thus, the image consists of light reflected by the hologram.
Recently, these holograms have been made and displayed in color—their images are optically indistinguishable from the original objects. If a mirror is an object, the holographic image of the mirror reflects white light; if a diamond is an object, the holographic image of the diamond is seen to “sparkle.”
Although mass-produced holograms such as the eagle on the VISA card are viewed with reflected light, they are actually transmission holograms “mirrorized” with a layer of aluminum on the back.
Transmission Hologram
The typical transmission hologram is viewed with laser light, usually of the same type used to make the recording. This light is directed from behind the hologram and the image is transmitted to the observer’s side. The virtual image can be very sharp and deep. For example, through a small hologram, a full-size room with people in it can be seen as if the hologram were a window.
If this hologram is broken into small pieces (to be less wasteful, the hologram can be covered by a piece of paper with a hole in it), one can still see the entire scene through each piece. Depending on the location of the piece (hole), a different perspective is observed. Furthermore, if an undiverted laser beam is directed backward (relative to the direction of the reference beam) through the hologram, a real image can be projected onto a screen located at the original position of the object.
Hybrid Hologram
Between the reflection and transmission types of holograms, many variations can be made.
Embossed holograms
To mass produce holograms for authenticity applications such as security hologram stickers or the holograms you find on credit cards, currency, and passports, a two-dimensional interference pattern is pressed onto thin plastic foils. The original hologram is usually recorded on a photosensitive material called a photoresist.
When developed, the hologram consists of grooves on the surface. A layer of nickel is deposited on this hologram and then peeled off, resulting in a metallic “shim.” More secondary shims can be produced from the first one. The shim is placed on a roller. Under high temperature and pressure, the shim presses (embosses) the hologram onto a roll of composite material similar to Mylar. Embossed holograms are actually a combination of many types of holograms.
Integral holograms
A transmission or reflection hologram can be made from a series of photographs (usually transparencies) of an object—which can be a live person, an outdoor scene, a computer graphic, or an X-ray picture. Usually, the object is “scanned” by a camera, thus recording many discrete views. Each view is shown on an LCD screen illuminated with laser light and is used as the object beam to record a hologram on a narrow vertical strip of the holographic plate (holo plate).
The next view is similarly recorded on an adjacent strip until all the views are recorded. When viewing the finished composite hologram, the left and right eyes see images from different narrow holograms; thus, a stereoscopic image is observed. Recently, video cameras have been used for the original recording, which allows images to be manipulated through the use of computer software.
Holographic interferometry
Microscopic changes in an object can be quantitatively measured by making two exposures to a changing object. The two images interfere with each other and fringes can be seen on the object that reveals the vector displacement. In real-time holographic interferometry, the virtual image of the object is compared directly with the real object. Even invisible objects, such as heat or shock waves, can be rendered visible. There are countless engineering applications in this field of photometry.
Multichannel holograms
With changes in the angle of the viewing light on the same hologram, completely different scenes can be observed. This concept has enormous potential for massive computer memories.
Computer-generated holograms
The mathematics of holography is now well understood. Essentially, there are three basic elements in holography: the light source, the hologram, and the image. If any two of the elements are predetermined, the third can be computed. For example, if we know that we have a parallel beam of light of a certain wavelength and we have a “double-slit” system (a simple “hologram”), we can calculate the diffraction pattern. Also, knowing the diffraction pattern and the details of the double-slit system, we can calculate the wavelength of the light. Therefore, we can dream up any pattern we want to see.
Conclusion
In conclusion, holographic technology as has been seen above has lots of applications. Learning more about this technology is definitely not a waste, since it keeps improving.
