“Holograms”, by which I mean the kind of 3D imaging often shown in science fiction movies and TV shows, not the real-life coherent light interferometric wavelength construction. Think of Princess Leia’s recording in the 1977 Star Wars , for instance.
Real holograms require a reconstruction beam or they have to be created in a special set of circumstances, like reflection holograms or “rainbow” holograms.
well, a group has produced a 3D image that is rotatable and viewable under ordinary light. Furthermore they did it on a thin film:
Ultra-Thin Film Creates Vivid 3D Images with Large Field of View
Glass-free technique could enable visual features that don’t require special reading devices or illumination
WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed a new ultra-thin film that can create detailed 3D images viewable under normal illumination without any special reading devices. The images appear to float on top of the film and exhibit smooth parallax, which means they can be clearly viewed from all angles. With additional development, the new glass-free approach could be used as a visual security feature or incorporated into virtual or augmented reality devices.
In the Optica Publishing Group journal Optics Letters , the researchers describe their new imaging film. At just 25 microns thick, the film is about twice as thick as household plastic wrap. It uses a technology known as light-field imaging, which captures the direction and intensity of all rays of light within a scene to create a 3D image.
“Achieving glass-free 3D imaging with a large field of view, smooth parallax and a wide, focusable depth range under natural viewing conditions is one of the most exciting challenges in optics,” said Shen. “Our approach offers an innovative way to achieve vivid 3D images that cause no viewing discomfort or fatigue, are easy to see with the naked eye and are aesthetically pleasing.”