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The Future of Holograms
D3 writes "A Slate article talks about the failure of holograms to really catch on and the future of using computers to create true holographic video ala Princess Leia. The article covers some history such as the fact that holograms have been around since 1947. Lots of great geek-pop references as well."
all i care about is....is it a holodeck? if not then bleh.
Do not look into laser with remaining eyeball!
--- Asking inconvenient questions for over 30 years...
I have something like that, its called a girlfriend...
;-)
Although I think holopr0n would be better, more willing...
...we need a Futurama quote (:
Kif: This is the Holo-Shed. It can simulate anything you desire, and nothing can hurt you. Except when it malfunctions and the holograms become real.
Amy: Well, that probably won't happen this time.
Kif: Computer; Run program Kif-1.
Amy: This is so beautiful!
Kif: Yes. I programmed it in for you! 4 million lines of BASIC!
I guarantee if you can duplicate R2's projector, they will catch on.
The problem is, that's hard to accomplish. I would really love to see the same thing (i.e., a real holographic projector, just like in Sci-fi), but the problem is this: how do you tell the light when to stop?
If you'll remember, R2's style actually projected the image in mid-air. So in order for a viewer to see that image, it meant that the light from the projector had to be sent to the viewer's eyes. Now a normal stream of photons from a projector would hit the floor, then bounce every which way. But no, what happened with the projector is that the photon stream somehow STOPPED in midair and then started radiating everywhich way so that your eye could see it. Not only that, but the light from the OTHER side of the image (relative to the viewer) somehow didn't interfere with the light on this side (or else you could see, for example, both sides of her face at once).
Now as soon as you can figure out how to make THAT happen (not counting cheating by using fog or spinning mirrors), then you've got something.
Most things labeled as holgrams are crappy 3D effects. Such as those lenticular sheet 3D effects on magazine covers and breakfast cerial boxes.
This word missuse has really discredited those who have real holograms.
Then there are still image holograms such as the cheap Mylar prints that aren't too bad if lit right, but most people can't or aren't willing to get up proper lighting to display them effectivly. The fact that I can't just put a nail in the wall and hang it is a large setback.
The glass plate holograms are very expensive but when done right are frightenly real. Like one a friend of mine made of his head with a pulsed ruby laser. I really looks like a decapitated head in a box, in almost any lighting. He was showing it at a fleamarket and people would call the cops, or completely go histerical in horror screaming and crying, thinking is was a real head in a box (except it was just a flat glass palate)
Here is the big hint now.
Did you know you can digitaly generate a hologram compulationaly and print it on a laser printer, photographicaly reduce it and have it work as a hologram!
A hologram is really just a black and white print of the light interferiance patterns (that are much larger then the wavelength of light used).
You can even display these interference patterns in realtime using a LCOS chip if it's illiminated correctly,(mono chrome only) and product true holographic image. Limited to 1 inch across through and $5000 at the moment.
So if it were possible to get an LCOS that was 14 inches across it would litteraly be like a red tinted glass porthole into another universe. Will all the detail and resolution of looking out side the window of your office!
There was some very interesting experiments we did with this a few years ago. Maybe someday I'll have the time to write these up in more detail.
I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso
Real time, photorealistic holographic imaging is quite difficult. For one it requires more than just on color. Holograms are produced and re-created using monochromatic light sources. Not only you cannot have multiple colors you cannot even have different shades of the same color! Another complication is that for a sizeable holographic image you'll require substantial amounts of energy focused on relatively confined space. Your fire insurance premium are sure to rise faster than USS 1701D hops across the galaxy at warp 9.
Years ago I saw some work from Stanford (Bert Hesselink's lab, if I remember right) on volumetric displays. Basically they used a crystal as a "screen" for holographic projection. The density of the crystal was better than that of air and it represented a stable medium (compared to water mist of other vapors) to project a hologram. It sounds like smoke and mirrors but it was quite impressive and you could see the hologram in normal light conditions, not only in darkened rooms.
I think that with present technology, holographic imaging is not possible. Holograms, however, are a good basis for developing new kinds of dense data storage systems with true associate recall capabilities. Interesting work on this subject was done by groups at Caltech, Stanford, Colorado State, and UC San Diego in the 1990s. The February 1998 issue of the IEEE Computer magazine features a special section on this kind of technology.
Mine has glitches too. Most of her permissions are all set to user only, even though I'm in her group. Her interfaces are nonintuitive - half the time I end up turning her off by accident. I guess I should be glad she doesn't have world permissions enabled by default, like some people's models. My biggest complaint though, is that her volume control is broken, but that didn't show up until AFTER I married her.
Never confuse volume with power.
"AFTER I married her" - I bet that came with one heck of a EULA.