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Re:Show HN: LitiHolo – a desktop 3D hologram printer that ma... by TheRealSteel on Thursday March 18, 2021 @10:16PM (#26509616)
That's really interesting!

I don't know anything about holograms, or about optics (I'm currently implementing code that takes advantage of OpenCV's camera calibration and don't even know some of the basics).

But I've read recently that some companies are trying to make better cameras (for phones etc) by making a meta-lens -- a single, flat lens with a highly detailed surface that can do the job that currently requires multiple curved lenses.

Do holograms have anything in common with surfaces like that?

If HOEs can direct light like several optical lenses combined into one, with a reflective enough surface, could holograms theoretically be used as some type of reflective (rather than refractive) lens like that for a smartphone (etc) camera? Can they reflect all wavelengths of visible light like you would need? Is anyone doing work in this area now?

There are even periscopic cameras in phones today - could we one day have a high quality camera in a slim device with one or two reflective lenses and no refractive element at all?

What's the difference like between something like LitiHolo and a machine required to make an HOE? What are the main relevant spec measures? I'm not sure if holograms have some equivalent of resolution, or similar.

Re:Show HN: LitiHolo – a desktop 3D hologram printer that ma... by hologram-paul on Friday March 19, 2021 @03:47AM (#26510903)
Holographic Optical Elements certainly have potential for applications like this, and the 3D Hologram Printer could be a great tool for simple prototyping and quick iterative testing.

Recently, Maimone et al at Oculus/Facebook Reality Labs used our hologram film to make a design for a thinner VR headset using pancake lenses incorporating holograms: https://research.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Holograph...

Re:Show HN: LitiHolo – a desktop 3D hologram printer that ma... by TheRealSteel on Saturday March 20, 2021 @05:53AM (#26521909)
Interesting! One of my first thoughts was use in an AR headset, which has a particular use-case for a reflective, rather than refractive, lens.
Re:Show HN: LitiHolo – a desktop 3D hologram printer that ma... by hologram-paul on Tuesday March 30, 2021 @12:14PM (#26636442)
Yes, there are definite applications for Holographic Optical Elements in this area. We are hoping that access to a 3D Hologram Printer will make development in this area even more accelerated. Thanks.