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Breakthrough in Holographic Displays
bendodge writes to mention the BBC is reporting that researchers at the University of Tucson, Arizona have created a polymer that allows holographic images to be created in minutes. Normally holographic images are created by mixing the results of multiple laser lights to lay down a static image, a lengthy and delicate process. "In a paper in Nature Mr Tay and colleagues describe their thin-film polymer that can have images 'written' to it in minutes and can be wiped as quickly to take and display another image. The material has been shown to stay stable throughout hundreds of write and erase cycles. The ability to quickly refresh images in holographs could mean that surgeons use them as a guide during operations or as a better way for pharmaceutical researchers to study molecular interactions for new drugs during simulations."
University of Arizona, in Tucson.
Hope they got the rest of it right.
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Help me, Obi-wan, you're my only hope
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
I can hardly wait for this to be adopted! Though it seems that it needs some new drivers or something; 1/300 or so FPS isn't going to be nearly good enough to play TF2 on.
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure dome decree
Judging by the article illustration its primary use will be to create Hollywood-style zombies.
Terrorists can't threaten a country's freedom and democracy. Only lawmakers and voters can do that.
From R(ing)TFA, it appears that this thin material allows taking of a holographic IMAGE quickly. It still would be incredible useful, as holographs can be viewed from multiple angles and are in 3 dimensions. A photograph that sticks out. Granted, most of the ones I have seen are pretty bad but in principle they could be useful. The medical application does sound handy : instead of flat 2d xrays, xray machines would be basically digital CT scanners that gather enough information to produce a 3d image from a specific angle. This digitally processed 3d model would then be used as the basis for forming a holograph, suitable for placement on the X-ray reading boards and having on a clip next to a surgeon during surgery.
BUT...it is by no means a 3d display. The best way to have full motion, high resolution 3d images is still using a head mounted display combined with a sensor for tracking head movement.
We are now closer to the era of holographic videos.
Of course the movies will be silent and the polymer records will have to spin at 78 million RPMs.
you can take it on the go with the help of the mobile emitter.
Did I just make a Voyager reference? Sigh...
Ars has better coverage which talks more about the polymers used and how this is actually achieved. It also has a link to the paper published in Nature (although you can only get an abstract if you're like me and don't have a subscription).
:-)
I submitted this story, too. So knowing Slashdot, we might see a dupe
Pharmaceutical data, my ass. We're looking at "Playboy 3D" material here, and a reason to go back to print media for everyone's monkey-stroking needs!
blow your mind already
BBC's coverage is pretty lame. Slashdot would serve its readers better by linking to coverage at a science blog instead. For instance, Ars Technica's Nobel Intent science journal has a far superior writeup of the announcement.
Who said anything about lesbian?
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The BBC writeup isn't very good. Try Ars Technica's coverage and you'll see that it's a 100 cm^2, rewritable holographic display. Or you can read the scientific paper in Nature.
:-)
It really is a holographic display. It uses a mixture of two polymers and quite a few kilovolts to zap things into place, after which you get a nice little display. It takes about half a second to form the image, which then lasts for about 3 hours (compared to it vanishing in about as much time as it took to create the image before). The device is also a lot bigger than previous devices.
I covered all that in my submission, but I guess someone beat me to submitting the story. Oh well, I've got plenty of accepted submissions already, anyhow, and knowing Slashdot, they could use my submission for a dupe, tomorrow
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property
Great! Now I can print all of my Hannah Montana concert pics in 3D!
Na, let's just have SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX.
The only good technologies are technologies that satisfy our increasingly perverted and nihilistic desires. We need holograms so we can see 3-d pictures of women having intercourse with wombats or particle accelerators. We need this technology so we can get the whole effect from the Pamela Anderson-Tommy Lee sex tape. It's absolute required so that when we have wardrobe malfunctions we can get titillating 3-d zooms over, above and below the all-important nipple. Those with fatty obsessions can get the fully glory of rolling plumpy skin!
SEX SEX SEX!!!! That's what we really need more of.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
So this seems like its moving toward a holograph writer which you could install in your PC. Then you could write holograms just like you burn a CD, but would these holograms have more or less storage capacity than what we have now?
In minutes? Wake me up when holographic images can be created in tens of milliseconds. Also, I demand a 20 cubic foot recessed tabletop display. Finally, it probably needs to cost under $500, so we can put one in every classroom.
OK, back to sleep now.
Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
Well, because it's red. Military holograms will be blue, with horizontal lines. Also, they'll be projected into free space by mobile trash-can sized navigation/computation units. And they'll be used mostly for private communications rather than, as you would expect, as tactical displays.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Sorry. I just realized I fudged the numbers a little bit much there. That should be 12 frames per MINUTE, not second. That wouldn't be that impressive anyway. oop.
The material has been shown to stay stable throughout hundreds of write and erase cycles.
Yeah, well what happens when you are on a starship and get hurt and need a doctor and you run out of polymer?? The devil's always in the details. First Hillarycare, now this!!
Slashdot "libertarians": Small government for me, big government for those I disagree with. -1, I disagree with you
Link:http://uanews.org/node/18022
VIDEO:http://uanews.org/node/18073
will need to speed up their stuff
Also, they are physical sheets, so between each "frame" of that 12fpm you would see a hand pulling the top sheet off of the stack...
I'm starting to get tired of seeing the "vaporware" tag for stuff that actually exists. Just because you can't buy it yet doesn't mean it's vaporware. Now had the scientists said, "We came up with an idea that would allow us to make a material that will/might/should display a hologram/holograph in minutes", and it's touted as something that will be available, then it's vaporware.
However:
"The material has been shown to stay stable throughout hundreds of write and erase cycles."
and
"The team has automated the process of capturing, writing and erasing images via a system that can take input from MRI, CAT scans, satellite or aerial photographs and microscopes."
Shows that it not only exists (and will probably blend), but they've already tested methods of putting it to practical use. Notice how these statements are "past-tense"?
Now, git off ma' lawn!
You decide.
http://www.colossalstorage.net/home_atomic_switch_display.htm
http://colossalstorage.net/home_OLED_tv.htm
http://colossalstorage.net/home_spintronics.htm