You're Looking Right Through Me—Literally: Holography

We can talk—and sing—with people who have died.

Hologram of woman. Unsplash.

If you've been to the Holocaust museum, Candles, in Terre Haute, you might have interacted with the late Eva Kor. She's there, in hologram form, even though she passed away in 2019.

Holography

"Holography" is from the Greek, meaning “total recording.” It's not as new as we might assume. Denis Gabor discovered the technique in 1948. He wanted to improve electron microscopy and ended up earning the Nobel prize for this achievement in 1971.

Then came holography's buildout in the early the 1960s; the brand new laser helped, by providing coherent light sources. In 1962, E. Leith and J. Upatnieks invented the off-axis reference beam optical holography. Five years later, A. Lohmann offered the world premiere of a hologram created by a computer.

According to the Encyclopedia of Condensed Matter Physics, there's much more to holography than 3D images, such as nondestructive testing and optical structures, like beamsplitters.

You can make your own hologram

Holography made from simple items. Video by Xinyuan Zhang.

Our own Arts Alliance of Greater Bloomington member Xinyuan Zhang exclaimed this week, "Ohhh, this is an interesting topic!"

She made a small hologram in 2015 using "very easy" tech (plastic boards on her computer screen and a YouTube video).

The same technology is shown in a video. Watch this simple demo, and gather your paper, knife, and ruler.

Singing with someone who has died

Chinese viewers, Zhang said, enjoy this popular, and very moving, concert by Jay Chou, where he performed with the deceased superstar Teresa Teng. This gave me chills, even though I had heard of neither singer before the video.

Another common type of holograph Zhang discussed is based on spinning fan displays. One day, retail spaces may offer them, but they're expensive. It's all Cloud-managed, which opens up software options.

"But I feel it’s a lot of hardware for little interaction," Zhang said, "and not possible for people at home."

It's a way to extend reality, like virtual reality headsets or augmented reality glasses, where we see objects in 3D, but they're not actually there.

Zhang wants more practical usage. For example, touching light in the air and interacting with the virtual assets, using it as we do on flat screens and iPhones. She would also like to ditch the super heavy goggles.

"Maybe one day, we can have holographic meetings as commonly as we have Zoom meetings, with projectors replacing big flat monitors."

Since people think in terms of 3D, holograms can be more realistic than flat screens, such as phones, laptops, and TV.

"We can see leaps in technology to incorporate more senses. From static picture to animate, from silent films to talkies, now from 2D to 3D."

And here's something many have pondered for years: using more touch, smell, or taste in the future.

Augmented- and virtual reality

Man using augmented reality. Unsplash.

"If you’re talking about Microsoft AR glasses, that’s something closer to what a middle class person could have their hands on."

Augmented reality glasses differ from virtual reality. The little, wearable (some of them you don't even need to wear) smart glasses can be used with smartphones and PCs while in transit—and with privacy.

Portable body-size holograms let people engage with "others" anywhere in the world. Team them with AV equipment and green screens, and soon it will be a regular thing. Collaborations such as WeWork (places where people can work together, including physical and virtual, headquartered in New York City) and ARHT are lighting the path too. ARHT offers holographic tech, allowing users to provide holography in different global locations.

Educators and music folk can give one presentation at one time in different places, recorded to use later.

Indiana's Only Holocaust Museum Is in Terre Haute, where you can "talk" with Eva Kor

In 1995, Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor opened the Candles Holocaust Museum and Education Center, hoping to prevent prejudice and other hate. Kor was a Mengele Twin, one of the 3,000 twins who were horribly experimented on by Dr. Josef Mengele.

Thousands have visited Candles. Twenty years ago, an arsonist burned down the museum. Eva promised its reconstruction, and the public went wild with helping. In 2005, it opened once again.

The limit?

So what are the limits? How big is your wall?

Watch this demo on interactive 3D.

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