BYU and MIT researchers worked together on it

Feb 17, 2015 10:20 GMT  ·  By

Holographic technology will eventually reach the levels depicted in the Marvel cinematic universe, perhaps beyond like in the Halo franchise, but for now we still have to take baby steps in the real world.

The time when we can move from trudging to striding may finally be upon us, however, thanks to researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) and their collaborators from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The group was able to create a new holographic technology that is not only superior to any others so far attempted but also cheaper to produce.

The secret lies in a new crystal they put together, called lithium niobate, or LiNbO3 for (not that much) short.

The capabilities of LiNbO3

Lithium niobate crystal has optical properties in a league of their own, thanks to the microscopic channels, or "waveguides," located beneath the surface. These waveguides confine light passing through it.

By inserting a metal electrode on each waveguide, it is possible to produce surface acoustic waves, leading to a division of color that enables a new kind of color display.

All this without having to rely on color filter wheels or dedicated red and blue pixels, according to BYU assistant professor of electrical engineering Daniel E. Smalley.

This all means that the new holographic technology builds on the concept of diffraction, rather than reflection or refraction which are the other two possible holodisplay foundations.

The difference between 3D and holographic images

In 3D movies, images are rendered from the very same angle no matter where you happen to be sitting in regard to the screen.

Holograms, on the other hand, show a different image every time you move, just like normal eyesight allows you to circle an object and see it from all angles. In diffraction techniques, lines of almost any type are used to bend and filter light accordingly.

It will be some time before we see holograms filling the air around us, but we are getting there. Slowly, but steadily.

The new technology from BYU and MIT should even be cheap enough that holographic displays on the scale of room-sized TVs could finally be viable from a marketing standpoint.

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New holographic display (3 Images)

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Waveguide device for a holographic video monitorHolographic video monitor under construction
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