 |
|
'Smart' holograms help patients help themselves
February 04, 2008Patients with diabetes, cardiac problems, kidney disorders or high blood pressure could benefit from the development of new hologram technology. The new "smart" holograms, which can detect changes in, for example, blood-glucose levels, should make self-diagnosis much simpler, cheaper and more reliable, write Chris Lowe and Cynthia Larbey in February's Physics World.
A hologram is a recording of an optical interference pattern created when laser light shone on an object is made to overlap with a separate beam of light that does not pass through the object. When light is shone onto the interference pattern, a 3D image of the original object is recreated.
Traditional holograms, like those on your credit card, are stored on photo-sensitive materials and remain unchanged with time. Smart holograms, however, use materials called hydrogels that shrink or swell in response to local environmental conditions. Such holograms can therefore be used as sensors to detect chemical imbalances in potentially fatal situations.
Smart Holograms, a spin-out company from the Institute of Biotechnology at Cambridge University, has already developed a hand-held syringe to measure water content in aviation fuel tanks - necessary because aeroplane engines are liable to freeze mid-air if there is more than 30 parts water to million fuel.
The same ability to detect chemical imbalances could be used by diabetics to check their blood-sugar levels; by patients with kidney disorders to check on adrenaline levels; by security forces to detect chemicals like anthrax after a terrorist attack; or, less urgently but with wide applicability, by glazing firms to detect whether water has crept in between window panes, something that can cause long-term structural damage.
Since the Nobel-prize-winning physicist Dennis Gabor first unveiled their underlying principles, holograms have become widely used as authentication tags to deter copying, and on credit cards, passports, banknotes. They also underpin the technology of supermarket scanners and CD players.
As Chris Lowe and Cynthia Larbey write, "Visual images produced by smart holograms can be made to appear or disappear under appropriate chemical or biological stimuli which makes them ideal for use in Breathalysers, monitoring heart conditions and for various security and smart packaging systems."
Institute of Physics
Smart Holograms, a spin-out company from the Institute of Biotechnology at Cambridge University, has already developed a hand-held syringe to measure water content in aviation fuel tanks - necessary because aeroplane engines are liable to freeze mid-air if there is more than 30 parts water to million fuel.
The same ability to detect chemical imbalances could be used by diabetics to check their blood-sugar levels; by patients with kidney disorders to check on adrenaline levels; by security forces to detect chemicals like anthrax after a terrorist attack; or, less urgently but with wide applicability, by glazing firms to detect whether water has crept in between window panes, something that can cause long-term structural damage.
Since the Nobel-prize-winning physicist Dennis Gabor first unveiled their underlying principles, holograms have become widely used as authentication tags to deter copying, and on credit cards, passports, banknotes. They also underpin the technology of supermarket scanners and CD players.
As Chris Lowe and Cynthia Larbey write, "Visual images produced by smart holograms can be made to appear or disappear under appropriate chemical or biological stimuli which makes them ideal for use in Breathalysers, monitoring heart conditions and for various security and smart packaging systems."
Institute of Physics
Holograms News and Current Holograms Events RSSBringing Second Life to life: Researchers create character with reasoning abilities of a child
Today's video games and online virtual worlds give users the freedom to create characters in the digital domain that look and seem more human than ever before. But despite having your hair, your height, and your hazel eyes, your avatar is still little more than just a pretty face.
UA optical scientists add new, practical dimension to holography
University of Arizona optical scientists have broken a technological barrier by making three-dimensional holographic displays that can be erased and rewritten in a matter of minutes.
Nature leads the way for the next generation of paints, cosmetics and holograms
A plant-like micro-organism mostly found in oceans could make the manufacture of products, from iridescent cosmetics, paints and fabrics to credit card holograms, cheaper and 'greener'.
Holograms make for better vision tests
A new paper published in the July 1 issue of OSA's Optics Letters shows that researchers in Australia have created a new one-step test that uses holograms to diagnose the astigmatic error of the human eye, a key measurement in determining the appropriate prescriptions for eye glasses in patients.
Magnetic 'handedness' could lead to better magnetic storage devices
Better magnetic storage devices for computers and other electronics could result from new work by researchers in the United States and Germany.
X-ray holograms expose secret magnetism
Collaborative research between scientists in the UK and USA has led to a major breakthrough in the understanding of antiferromagnets, published in this week's Nature.
Increase in counterfeit antimalarial drugs prompts call for crackdown, better detection
A worsening epidemic of sophisticated anti-malarial drug counterfeiting in southeast Asia and Africa is increasing the likelihood of drug-resistant parasites, yielding false-positive results on screening tests and risking the lives of hundreds of thousands of malaria patients.
Promise shown for data encryption and data storage using holograms
The rapidly developing digital age demands greater processing power, data storage and data encryption for computer based technologies. Recent developments point towards optical information processing as a great leap forward.
Tech Creates More Compact, Inexpensive Spectrometer
Being the delicate optical instruments that they are, spectrometers are pretty picky about light.
Scientists help police bust forgers
Forging wills and bank cheques could now be near impossible thanks to a team of physicists in Rome (Italy). Writing in the latest issue of the Institute of Physics journal, Journal of Optics A, the scientists announce a new technique that can detect forged handwriting better than ever before. Professor Giuseppe Schirripa Spagnolo, Carla Simonetti and Lorenzo Cozzella from the Universit' degli Studi "Roma Tre" in Rome, Italy, have devised a forgery detection method that creates a 3D hologram of a piece of handwriting and analyses tiny variations and bumps along its path using two common scientific techniques: virtual reality and image processing. Until now, detecting forged signa
More Holograms News Articles
 | Hologram of Liberty: The Constitution's Shocking Alliance With Big Government by Kenneth W. Royce, Boston T. Party |
 | The Complete Book of Holograms: How They Work and How to Make Them by Joseph E. Kasper, Steven A. Feller Clear, thorough account, without complicated mathematics, explains geometric and the zone plate holography and the different types of holograms, including transmission, reflection, phase, projection, rainbow, and multiplex. It also shows basic setups for making holograms and provides step-by-step instructions so readers can make their own. 116 black-and-white... |
 | Homemade Holograms: The Complete Guide to Inexpensive, Do-It-Yourself Holography by John Iovine Holography-the recording of three-dimensional images using a laser light source-is a young and rapidly expanding science that offers hobbyists involved in electronics and photography the opportunity to greatly expand their creative horizons. Aimed at those with little or no laser experience, this book covers the basic methodology and equipment required to make an array of holograms. John Iovine... |
 | Ghost Train: A Spooky Hologram Book by Stephen Wyllie |
 | Digital Holography: Digital Hologram Recording, Numerical Reconstruction, and Related Techniques by Ulf Schnars, Werner Jueptner This book presents a self-contained treatment of the principles and major applications of digital hologram recording and numerical reconstruction (Digital Holography). The first part deals with optical foundations and the theory of holography. The next section describes how to record holograms directly with an electronic sensor (CCD) and describes the various reconstruction techniques. A special... |
 | Shoebox Holography : A Step-By-Step Guide to Making Holograms Using Inexpensive Semiconductor Diode Lasers by Frank DeFreitas, Steve Michael Create your own holograms using only a low-cost LED laser pointer! -- Can you make a hologram with a low-cost LED laser pointer? Yes, and this book shows you how. -- he book is called Shoebox Holography because all the components you need to make your own holograms can fit easily into a shoebox. -- Detailed instructions are included in the book on everything you need for holography, and where... |
| Hologram Book by Joseph E. Kasper, Steven A. Feller | |
 | The Hologram's Handbook (Star Trek Voyager) by Robert Picardo Do you sometimes feel that you're the only intelligent one in the room? Does the everyday "simplicity" of your fellows scream out to you? Do you ever feel that everything would fly apart at the seams if not for your presence? We all know how difficult it can be to deal with the solids in our lives, but no one knows that better than I. You see, I have spent seven years tirelessly serving aboard... |
| David's Social Drama: A Hologram of Israel's Early Iron Age (The Social World of Biblical Antiquity Series, 7) by James W. Flanagan | |
 | Robin II Deluxe Collector's Set Box Robin II Deluxe Collector's Set contains: Newsstand Editions of Robin II #1-4, Four Direct Market Editions of Robin II #1, Three Direct Market Editions of Robin II #2, Two Direct Market Editions of Robin II #3, One Direct Market Edition of Robin II #4, Four Robin II Hologram Trading Cards, Two Acid Free Backer Boards and a Custom Slipcase. Individually serial numbered. Special Hologram Robin II... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |