Holographic Display
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A holographic display is a type of 3D display that utilizes light
diffraction Diffraction is the deviation of waves from straight-line propagation without any change in their energy due to an obstacle or through an aperture. The diffracting object or aperture effectively becomes a secondary source of the Wave propagation ...
to display a three-dimensional image to the viewer. Holographic displays are distinguished from other forms of 3D displays in that they do not require the viewer to wear any special glasses or use external equipment to be able to see the image, and do not cause a
vergence-accommodation conflict Vergence-accommodation conflict (VAC), also known as accommodation-vergence conflict, is a visual phenomenon that occurs when the brain receives mismatching cues between vergence and accommodation of the eye. This commonly occurs in virtual rea ...
. Some commercially available 3D displays are advertised as being holographic, but are actually multiscopic.


Timeline

1947 – Hungarian scientist
Dennis Gabor Dennis Gabor ( ; ; 5 June 1900 – 9 February 1979) was a Hungarian-British physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971 for his invention of holography. He obtained British citizenship in 1946 and spent most of his life in Engla ...
first came up with the concept of a
hologram Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interf ...
while trying to improve the resolution of
electron microscope An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of electrons as a source of illumination. It uses electron optics that are analogous to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope to control the electron beam, for instance focusing it ...
s. He derived the name for holography, with "holos" being the Greek word for "whole," and "gramma" which is the term for "message." 1960 – The world's first
laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...
was developed by soviet scientists Nikolay Basov and Alexander Prokhorov, and American scientist Charles H. Townes. This was a major milestone for holography because laser technology serves as the basis of some modern day holographic displays. 1962 – Yuri Denisyuk invented the white-light reflection hologram which was the first hologram that could be viewed under the light given off by an ordinary incandescent light bulb. 1968 – White-light transmission holography was invented by Stephen Benton. This type of holography was unique because it was able to reproduce the entire spectrum of colors by separating the seven colors that create white light. 1972 - Lloyd Cross produced the first traditional hologram by using white-light transmission holography to recreate a moving 3-dimensional image. 1986 – Musician, record Producer and entrepreneur Christopher Martin Pati was the first person to theorize and propose a practical and quantitative process for plasma holography. His method involved exciting oxygen and nitrogen molecules with
ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...
laser light (slightly above the
visible light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm ...
spectrum but below the
x-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...
spectrum) to create a plasma screen area (requiring no reflective surface, screen or special glasses) to create the holographic image. His method was registered and copyrighted with the US Register of Copyrights on January 5th, 1987. 1989 – MIT spatial imaging group pioneered electroholography, which uses magnetic waves and acoustic-optical sensors to portray moving pictures onto a display. 2005 – The University of Texas developed the laser plasma display, which is considered the first real 3D holographic display. 2011 – DARPA announces the Urban Photonic Sand Table (UPST) project, a dynamic digital holographic tabletop display. 2012 – The first holographic display is implemented in a car's interactive navigation display system. The technology was showcased through the exclusive luxury car, the Lykan HyperSport. 2013 – MIT researcher Michael Bove predicts that holographic displays will enter the mass market within the next ten years, adding that we already have all the technology necessary for holographic displays.


Types of holographic displays


Laser plasma

Laser plasma displays were first theorized and proposed in 1986 by Musician, Producer and Entrepreneur Christopher M. Pati. They were first developed in 2005 by the University of Texas, utilizing a series of powerful lasers that focus light in desired positions in order to create plasma excitations with the oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the air. This type of holographic display is capable of producing images in thin air, without the need for any sort of screen or external
refraction In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one transmission medium, medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in speed or by a change in the medium. Refraction of light is the most commo ...
media. The laser plasma display is able to depict very bright and visible objects, but it lacks in terms of resolution and picture quality.


Micromagnetic piston display

The
piston A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder (engine), cylinder a ...
display, invented by Belgian company IMEC in 2011, utilizes a
MEMS MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) is the technology of microscopic devices incorporating both electronic and moving parts. MEMS are made up of components between 1 and 100 micrometres in size (i.e., 0.001 to 0.1 mm), and MEMS devices ...
(micro-electro-mechanical system) based structure. In this type of display, thousands of microscopic pistons are able to be manipulated up and down to act as pixels, which in turn reflect light with a desired
wavelength In physics and mathematics, wavelength or spatial period of a wave or periodic function is the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. In other words, it is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same ''phase (waves ...
to represent an image. This developing technology is currently in the prototype phase, as IMEC is still developing the mechanism that will mobilize their "pixels" more effectively. Some of the limitations of this type of this display include the high cost, difficulty of creating large screens, and its susceptibility to mechanical failures due to the relatively large amount of moving parts (microscopic pistons).


Holographic television display

The holographic television display was created by MIT researcher Michael Bove in 2013. Dr. Bove used a
Microsoft Kinect Kinect is a discontinued line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB cameras, and infrared projectors and detectors that map depth through either structured light o ...
camera as a relatively effective way to capture subjects in a three-dimensional space. The image is then processed by a PC graphics card and replicated with a series of laser diodes. The produced image is fully 3-dimensional and can be viewed from all 360 degrees to gain spatial perspective. Bove claimed that this technology would be widespread by 2023, and that the technology will cost as much as today's ordinary consumer TVs.


Touchable holograms

Touchable holograms were originally a Japanese invention that became further developed by American microprocessor company
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
. Touchable hologram technology is the closest modern representation of the holographic displays that one might see in sci-fi movies such as ''Star Wars'' and particularly in the ''Star Trek'' television franchise. This display is unique in that it can detect a user's touch by sensing movements in the air. The device then provides haptic feedback to the user by sending an ultrasonic air blast in return. In Intel's demonstration of this technology, the display was showcased representing a touchless, responsive piano. A possible implementation for this technology would be interactive displays in public kiosks; because this type of display does not require a user to physically touch a screen, it ensures that
bacteria Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...
and
virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...
es do not get transmitted.


Technologies used


Laser

Most modern day holograms use a laser as its light source. In this type of hologram, a laser is shone onto a scene that is then reflected onto a recording apparatus. In addition, part of the laser must shine directly onto a specific area of the display to act as a reference beam. The purpose of the reference beam is to provide the recording device with information such as background light, picture angle, and beam profile. The image is then processed to compensate for any variation in picture fidelity, and then sent to the display.


Electroholography

Electroholographic displays are digital displays that transmit stored image data using an electromagnetic resonator. These signals are then read by an acoustic-optic modulator and converted into a legible image and displayed on an RGB laser monitor. Electroholographic displays hold an advantage over traditional displays in terms of picture accuracy and range of color.


Full parallax/HPO/VPO

Full parallax holography is the process of delivering optical information in both the x and y directions. The resulting image will therefore provide the same perspective of a scene to all viewers regardless of viewing angle. Horizontal Parallax Only (HPO) and Vertical Parallax Only (VPO) displays only deliver optical information in two dimensions. This method of display partially compromises the image in certain viewing angles, but it requires much less computational power and data transfer. Because humans' eyes are positioned side by side, HPO displays are generally preferred over VPO displays, and sometimes preferred over full parallax displays due to their lesser demand on processing power.


MEMS

MEMS technology allows holographic displays to incorporate very small moving parts into its design. The prime example of a MEMS-enabled display is the piston display, listed in the above section. Micropistons used in the display can behave like pixels on a computer monitor, allowing for sharp image quality.


Hologram-like display

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...
is developing a hologram-like 'aerial display'.Mitsubishi is developing a hologram-like 'Aerial Display'
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See also

* Holographic screen


References

{{emerging technologies, displays=yes Display technology Holography 3D imaging 3D display