Future
of Holography Technology|
Introduction |
The word hologram is derived from the Greek words "holos" meaning whole and "gamma" meaning message-in other words, holograms depict whole message. Holograms appear to contain a three-dimensional image under proper illumination. They cannot be copied by ordinary means and hence are widely used to prevent counterfeiting of documents such as credit cards, driver's licenses, admission tickets and many other products.
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Current Applications of Holographic
Technology |
Today, the most popular use of holograms is in consumer products and advertising materials. Holograms are also important in various other areas of scientific research, medicine, commerce and industry. We below a list of current holographic applications in various fields:
- Holograms are used in consumer packaging of products and
advertisement to attract potential buyers.
- Holograms are used on magazine/book cover. For example: One of
the most memorable Sports Illustrated covers till date was the
December 23, 1992 issue featuring Michael Jordan.
- Holograms are also used on sports trading cards.
- Hologram usage on credit cards, debit cards, I-cards, license
etc. provide added security to minimize counterfeiting.
- Holography is also used to make archival recordings of valuable
and fragile museum artifacts.
- Researchers and industry designers use holographic interferometry
to test and design many things like tires, engines to prosthetic
limbs and artificial bones and joints.
- Holographic lens system to read bar codes is widely seen in
supermarket and department store scanners.
- Holographic optical elements (HOE's) are used while navigating by
airplane pilots. In some military aircraft, pilots while looking
through the windshield can read their instruments by using a
holographic display projected in front of their eyes. This feature
is available on some models of automobiles as well and this is
depicted below.
- Holographic technology is used in medical science in the form of
MRI, CAT scan, X-ray, endoscopy, opthalmology etc.
- A well known company like Sony Electronics uses holographic
technology in their digital cameras.
- Holograms have also been used by artists to create pulsed holographic portraits and other works of art and many more.
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Future Applications of Holographic
Technology |
There are certain areas which have not received full exposure so far as the applications of holograms are concerned. These areas are still under study and sooner or later holograms will be seen full fledged in these areas also. Some examples of future applications of holograms are as follows:
- Future color liquid crystal displays (LCD's) are expected to be
more brighter and whiter due to holographic technology.
- In few years, there will be commercial availability of
holographic night vision goggles.
- Many researchers/scientists are of opinion that holographic
televisions will be manufactured on a mass scale within a few years
at a cost of approximately $5000. Holographic motion picture
technology had already been attempted and was also successful in the
1970s. The future of holographic motion pictures may soon become a
reality in a few years.
- Holography also has an unique storage capacity. Holographic
memory can store 1 terabyte (= 1000 GB) of data in a crystal which
is more or less the size of a sugar cube. Comparatively, current
methods of storage include DVD's that store 4.7 GB, CD's that hold
650 to 700 MB, and computer hard drives that hold up to 120 GB. As
such, we can see holograms in the future revolutionize storage
capacities.
- Optical or holographic computers in future will be capable of
delivering trillions of bits of information faster than the latest
computers.
- The present holographic security methods usually use
mass-produced, identical embossed holograms. In future, an
holographic ID card or security label will not be mass produced.
Instead, each hologram on such cards will be unique, bearing a
unique encrypted "signature" whose validity can be only be
checked electronically. This advance will however require many
significant advances in holographic technology.
- Using holograms in museums with animated multimedia content
allows exhibitors communicate information about the artifact with
more effectiveness and excitement than that offered by text labels.
In future, as wall-mounted variations require little space, museums
can display a larger number of artifacts. The figure below shows two
illustrations of future applications envisioned for hologram. The
first one is a wall-mounted display in a museum environment while
the other is a desktop display that can be used in a light-box
fashion.
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Conclusion |
These are just a few instances of future applications of hologram. As already mentioned, there are various areas where holograms are used , going by their importance as security enhancement, anti-counterfeiting, commercial, advertising, and promotion. Holograms have been useful anti-counterfeit devices used on everything from passports to food, and from currency to cosmetics, from credit cards to badges . There are more areas to venture into and some areas need to develop more. The spread and advancement of hologram technology will definitely reduce the value of ordinary embossed holograms as anti-counterfeit devices. On the other hand, various modern, scientific technological advances foreseen in recording materials, embossing substrate materials, hologram recording systems etc. will greatly increase the security value of holograms within few years. The ultimate goal is to create hologram as a powerful tool for science, industry, advertisement, security, education etc. The future of holograms will be a 3D display concept whose application is envisioned in almost all areas like
- Industrial simulation (design, manufacturing, quality assurance)
u Scientific visualization (pathology, paleontology, density,
biomedicine, medicine, orthopedics or archeology)
- Education (medical training or public museums) and so on.
