Real 3-D

Real 3-D

Today, the new trend in TV seems to be 3-D movies. Many movies are coming out with the third series or as remakes just so it can be in 3-D, some examples: Spy Kids 3-D, Beauty and the Beast 3-D, Final Destination 3-D, and many more… However, the graphics for these 3-D movies are not perfected to say the least. I personally have not found Stereoscopic 3-D movie effects truly amazing and often find the glasses and headaches I get from watching the movies quite annoying. Well, now Belgium researchers are looking at a new and improved way of watching 3-D movies is coming out, and it shouldn’t cause as many headaches. Stereoscopic 3-D imaging basically just tricks the brain into thinking that it is seeing in 3-D by 2 offset 2-D images.  While our eyes must focus on the plane of the screen they must also orient themselves to converge between the screen and the viewer which is what mainly causes the headaches. However, the new form of 3-D imaging coming out, called holographic, creates real 3-D images…not just an illusion. Also no glasses will be required. The Belgium researchers are trying out tiny MEMs (microelectrical mechanical systems), or driven spring loaded pixels, to create these holographic videos. The Belgium researchers have made a MEMs free chip which is created by taking a silicon wafer and growing a layer of silicon dioxide onto it. Small square patches are then etched out of silicon dioxide creating a grid of pixels that are about 150 nanometers deep in the silicon dioxide layer. A thin piece of reflective aluminum is then placed on top of the wafer. To then create a 3-D image a laser is shown onto the pixels at a very certain angle and the uneven surface diffracts the light in various ways creating a 3-D hologram. What these researchers are still working on however, is how to do this with moving images. To do this, they are working on making a chip with the MEMS, which are like very very tiny machines. The MEMS will replace the pixels on the chip and move up and down on the chips surface very accurately to create a moving holographic image. However, this is easier said than done. By making tiltable MEMS mirrors from a mix of silicon and germanium, researchers are hoping to integrate the data handling logic needed to control the structures directly underneath the pixels. In order to function properly, each MEMS needs to be smaller than the wavelength of light of the laser that is being shown on it, or about half of a micron square. Researchers are still working on being able to make MEMS this small.  They are hoping that in 5 years these holograms can be made on a small scale such as with letters, and later the technology will be used in actual movies. I think the 3-D effect would also be cool not just for movies but for cell phones and tablets as well.   If interested in seeing this for yourself check out the link below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCbQIOqFgC0.