3-D imaging research could aid military planning Published Dec. 7, 2007 By Maria Callier Air Force Office of Scientific Research Public Affairs ARLINGTON, Va. -- A group of Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded scientists is developing unique, updateable holographic 3-D displays that can be used in military applications. According to Dr. Nasser Peyghambarian, the holographic 3-D images can be used in command and control for viewing battle space in nearly real time using realistic images that can be updated regularly at short intervals. "These images can also be used for training purposes as well," said Dr. Peyghambarian, the team lead for the group from the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. "Three-dimensional imaging allows a lot of data to be presented simultaneously, a task that is not possible with the use of two-dimensional pictures," Dr. Peyghambarian said. "Until now dynamic, holographic 3-D images suitable for practical uses did not exist. Our newly developed displays exhibit memory and large size, which makes them stand out among other approaches to dynamic 3-D imaging." The scientists are able to achieve high-definition 3-D images by using holography to store the appearance of objects or scenes into thin films with the use of laser light, and they have gone one step further beyond static images. "We've replaced fixed holographic storage materials with dynamic ones" Dr. Peyghambarian said. "We use high-efficiency, low-cost dynamic recording materials capable of very large sizes, which is very important for life-size, realistic 3-D displays. We can record complete scenes or objects within three minutes and can store them for three hours." Dr. Darrel G. Hopper is also exploring true 3-D technologies for applications in air, space, and cyber command centers. He is a team at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Human Effectiveness Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Dr. Hopper uses the term 'true 3-D' to distinguish systems like the AFOSR updatable holographic effort at the University of Arizona. "We develop and evaluate various true 3-D systems for their value added beyond the two-dimensional visualization technologies currently used -- for example, in Air Force combined air operations centers," said Dr. Hopper. According to Dr. Peyghambarian, the next steps are to increase the size of the 3-D displays to 1 foot by 1 foot and then 3 feet by 3 feet, make them in color, and increase the writing speed of the images. "We also need to examine the psychological aspects of 3-D viewing and the question of how humans interact with 3-D displays," he said. "For example, it's believed that pilots may react and make decisions much faster if the receive 3-D information, which is much more realistic compared with the two-dimensional displays they currently use." Through support of research projects such as the one, AFOSR continues to expand the horizon of scientific knowledge through its leadership and management of the Air Force's basic research program. As a vital component of the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFOSR supports the Air Force mission of control and maximum utilization of air and space. Many of the technologies enjoyed by millions today, such as lasers, global positioning system, and the computer mouse trace their origin to scientific breakthroughs, due in whole or in part, to research first funded by AFOSR.