Three-dimensional films have been a hit at the box office, but making them requires pricey equipment. Baoqing Sun at the University of Glasgow, UK, and his colleagues propose a simpler alternative. Instead of using cameras or lasers to achieve a three-dimensional (3D) effect, they illuminate an object with a rapidly changing pattern of black and white squares. Single-pixel detectors placed around the object capture light reflected in various directions, and an algorithm reconstructs a 3D image from these simple inputs.
Although the scheme takes several minutes to image a stationary object, it is cheaper than current 3D systems. In addition, it should work for wavelengths such as the far infrared that are beyond the reach of current technology.
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A poor man's hologram. Nature 497, 412 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/497412b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/497412b