October 12, 2005, Austin, TX--Zebra Imaging, which produces holographic imaging equipment, has teamed with design-and-planning company M3 Design (Round Rock, TX) to incorporate Zebra's technology into a speedy on-location holographic imaging machine. Called the M1 Imager, the instrument provides on-demand 3-D visualizations from CAD (computer-aided-design) or other data.
Zebra Imaging's imagers can create very large (even automobile-sized) monochrome or full-color holograms, converting computer-generated data into holographic pixels that make up the hologram (see Laser Focus World, August 2005, p. 15). The company's previous technology produced about a square foot a day of monochrome hologram; the new machine, however, creates the same hologram area in 20 minutes. The new equipment is narrow enough to be wheeled though a standard size door. It is intended for uses in defense, automotive, and manufacturing.
Zebra's holographic images currently provide 3-D visualizations of urban and nonurban terrain to the Defense Department. In the past, soldiers relied on 2-D paper maps and sand-table models to plan combat operations. With the M1, the military can now image 3-D holograms to create situational understanding and expose potential threats.
Other applications include: visualization and verification of design and engineering data sets; oil and gas upstream visualization; pharmaceutical, medical and microscopy imagery; and marketing and entertainment.