Holograms with Sound

Holograms with Sound:


Summary: 
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the University of Stuttgart discovered a way to create acoustic holograms. By using these methods, scientists would be able to improve ultrasound diagnostics as well as material testing. 

How is this possible?:
"While our technology does not dynamically modify the three-dimensional structure of the sound field, it can nevertheless cause dynamic motion," says Peer Fischer. "We are surprised that nobody has come up with this idea before." This amazing feat and how it is done was demonstrated by recreating one of Pablo Picasso's paintings, titled "The Dove of Peace". What basically happens is micro particles are suspended in a liquid and then follow a type of trail, which will eventually craft the image. The biggestchallenge for the team recreating this painting was to figure out the exact amount of pressure needed from the acoustic waves to recreate the lines of the dove. By doing this, they were able to create a type of road map for the microparticles to follow. Then, the scientists used a 3D printer to create a relief plate that transmitted acoustics more rapidly than the surrounding liquid. This allowed the researchers to fabricate the hologram and make it visible.

 

Are there any setbacks to this amazing accomplishment?:
One thing that  the researchers are still trying to figure out a way to accomplish is manipulating these microparticles on the fly. Right now, everything has to be set up and planned beforehand. However, if these particles could be manipulated from their "road map", the possibilities of these acoustic holograms would be limitless, especially in many aspects of the medical field. "There's a great deal of interest in using our invention to easily generate ultrasound fields with complex shapes for localized medical diagnostics and treatments," says Peer Fischer.