Holographic display

1947 – Hungarian scientist Dennis Gabor first came up with the concept of a hologram while trying to improve the resolution of electron microscopes. 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 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. 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. 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 ==

Micromagnetic piston display The piston display, invented by Belgian company IMEC in 2011, utilizes a MEMS (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 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 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. == 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. 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. == Applications of Holographic Displays ==

Microscopy Holographic displays have become increasingly important in biological imaging and microscopy by allowing scientists to visualize three-dimensional structures captured through digital holographic techniques. Before this, traditional microscopy had to be used to look at small objects, which often required refocusing to look at different views of an object. Holographic display systems can reconstruct the full three-dimensional wavefront of an object. This enables researchers to observe these objects, typically specimens or other biological samples, in true 3D, including their spatial structure and movement over time. Holographic displays have improved the ability to analyze complex biological systems compared to conventional two-dimensional imaging methods. Data Visualization While holography has been explored for uses in large data storage, holographic displays are primarily used for visualizing complex data in three dimensions. These displays allow large datasets to be represented in space, improving interpretation in many different fields including scientific research, engineering, and medicine. Holographic displays have enabled users to better understand relationships within their data, especially when depth and spatial awareness are important, making them especially useful for analyzing multi-dimensional datasets that are harder to interpret with standard methods. == Ethical and Social Impacts of Holographic Displays ==

The introduction of holographic displays has raised lots of ethical and social concerns as the technology continues to develop and become more widely used around the world. One important issue is their accessibility. Certain holographic display systems are expensive and require advanced hardware, which has caused them to be very limited to richer industries, research institutions, and large corporations. This creates a gap in who is able to benefit from the technology, which therefore increases the amount of inequalities in access to holographic display technology Another concern involves how holographic displays are used in the media and entertainment industry. The ability to recreate realistic three-dimensional images of people raises questions about consent, likeness, and the authenticity of these images, especially when the depiction of a person is altered in noticeable manners. There are also concerns about the data and privacy behind these holographic display systems. Some holographic displays are capable of integrating live imaging and data systems, which can collect and use lots of visual and personal data. There are lots of ethical questions surrounding the storage of this data, since there could be personal information and other potentially important pieces of data that could be exposed unintentionally. Despite these concerns, holographic displays do offer some significant positive impacts. They can improve education, especially in the medical field, by making hard concepts easier to understand. It has also assisted in making communication easier through the advanced visualization that these holographic displays can provide. As the technology continues to improve, balancing the benefits with the ethical concerns will be important in its continued success. ==See also==