Scientists at Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany developed the sound holograms by using tiny silicone beads assembling into patterns in the water. Projected images are based on how long sounds are produced.
The uneven surface of the plate causes phase delays in the waves which affect the medium and therefore other objects or particles suspended in or on it.
3D Printers Used in Creating Sound Holograms
According to Peer Fischer, co-author of a new study published in Nature, it's conceptually the same thing as the holograms generated aboard the Enterprise in the "Star Trek" franchise.
"Only we don't generate an image using light," Fischer said. "We do it with sound."
Fischer used to work using tiny robots. He was looking for a way to move large microparticles simultaneously so that they can be assembled into larger complex structures. 3D printers are used by the scientists to create acoustic holograms such as plastic blocks with complex structures.
The researchers in Stuttgart were able to use the acoustic projection to make a ripple, to create shapes on the surface of a liquid, as well as to suspend water droplets in the air. The first hologram they did was a dove.
First 3D Hologram in the U.K.
But this is not the first time that sound holograms were created. The scientists in United Kingdom used this technology to levitate the small beads. However, the electronics required in such a scenario is bulky, and would increase in size exponentially as the complexity of the task grew.
Kai Malde conducted the experiments at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems as part of his PhD research. Malde said that scientists can generate sound in 3D without complex technology.
Sound Holograms Used In Medical Field
Acoustic holograms are used by doctors to sculpt powerful ultrasonic fields to get rid of unhealthy tissues while avoiding healthy tissues. Ultrasound imaging can benefit from sound holograms by improvement of its resolution.
Scientists are developing acoustic holograms to create sophisticated 3D sound fields that are not statistic, but aminated.
