One Step Closer to the Holodeck?

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Every Star Trek: The Next Generation fan dreams of the day when we will have our own holodeck to ourselves. It seems as though researchers at the University of Tucson, Arizona have brought us one step closer!

BBC News is reporting the story about how Savas Tay and his colleagues are working to make 3-D holographs more usable in today's technology.

As of right now, holographs take an abundance of time to produce, and are not very useful due to the amount of time and lengthy procedure it takes to create one.

Holographs are created by mixing reflected laser light with a second laser beam to lay down a static image - typically a lengthy, complicated and delicate process.
Laaaysers.

In the amount of time it takes to create the holograph, processes like x-rays, MRI, or CAT scans can be performed to get the necessary information to treat a patient.

Mr. Tay and Co. have removed the lengthy amount of time it takes to create the holograph. Reducing the amount of time to create the holograph greatly increases the potential to be used in the medical field, and in other fields as well.

In a paper in Nature Mr. Tay and colleagues describe their thin-film polymer that can have images "written" to it in minutes and can be wiped as quickly to take and display another image.

The material has been shown to stay stable throughout hundreds of write and erase cycles.
Does this mean you should call your contractor to start on the design and location of your holodeck? No. They aren't that close. Yet.

What it means is that the most current technology, being x-ray, MRI and CAT scan technology, may be used to create a holograph of your organs.

The procedure will give doctors and surgeons the ability to see the dysfunctional or unhealthy organ on a three-dimensional platform. This would aid greatly in trying to find tumors, cysts or other masses or problems with the organ, leading to a quicker diagnosis and, in the end, quicker recoveries.

It will also guide surgeons through more delicate operations:

The ability to quickly refresh images in holographs could mean that surgeons use them as a guide during operations.
Anything that helps guide a person through my innards without causing permanent damage, is a-okay in my book.

This research has a trickle-down effect on other technologies. Eventually it will lead to holographic televisions and other displays using holographic technology.

Though we're a ways off from having that 3-D television in your living room, so don't throw that 52" HD-TV out just yet. It does, however, have the potential to help humans, animals and society in general throughout the world.

This is DevilsReject's first attempt at an article, and he is totally looking forward to the Star Trek prequel.

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