MELBOURNE, Australia—Is 3D technology coming to smartphones?
A team of scientists from RMIT University and the Beijing Institute of Technology have designed the “world's thinnest” hologram, reported Wired, meaning credit unions will need to consider even newer ways of presenting information to members.
The hologram is said to be capable of being integrated into everyday products such as smartphones, Wired explained.
The architects of the hologram say the holographic technology can be seen without 3D goggles and is 1,000 times thinner than human hair. The work was led by RMIT's Min Gu, who among the projects other scientists, dubbed the technology a “nano hologram,” Wired said.
Wired said that the constraints that currently hold back holographic technology lie in the limits of optical thickness.
“Regular holograms modulate light to project the illusion of a three-dimensional shape. But this needs to be within the parameters of the optimal thickness limit – computer-generated holograms are too large to fit atop smartphones and therefore have limited practical application,” Wired said. “Now, Min and the team behind the work has developed a 25-nanometer hologram using topological insulator material. It has a lower refractive index on the surface layer, but an ultrahigh refractive index in bulk. This thin insular film can enhance the holographic image without sacrificing its compact design.”
Theoretically, the technology may be able to fit inside smartphones and other devices but there is still work to be done, noted Wired, which said the project’s next step is to shrink the technology even further.