Confocal microscopy has revolutionised the way biologists, physicists and engineers alike use light to image a whole range of samples, from biological cells to semiconductor devices
3D imaging has always teetered on the edge of science fiction, says Inventions.
The closest most of us have ever got to experiencing a 3D image is by wearing a pair of red and green specs out of a cornflakes packet and viewing a picture of our favourite superhero on the back.
For those lucky enough to have been to an Imax cinema, the experience is more real, but still it is a far cry from the kind of technologies depicted in Star Trek films.
And yet, while 3D imaging for entertainment has languished behind the imagination of sci-fi authors and film-makers, other professional fields are not as far from mastering the art as we might think.
In recent years, the field of confocal microscopy has revolutionised the way biologists, physicists and engineers alike use light to image a whole range of samples, from biological cells to semiconductor devices.
The three-dimensional, high-resolution, non-destructive features of confocal microscopy are captivating new microscope users and driving the development of radically new types of confocal microscopes.
Indeed, the inventor of the latest microscope has devised a method which allows multiple objects to be captured or displayed in various planes as solid entities.
Until now, such objects have always appeared transparent.
Uniquely, these solid entities also exhibit parallax.
That is, if a viewer were to move their head sideways or up and down, the captured objects move relative to one another in 3D planes.
This represents a quite significant breakthrough which, without blinding you with science, means that for the first time, the integrity of 3D images is protected.
What is so exciting is that the principles behind this new type of confocal microscopy can also be applied to other types of image capture and display, such as photography, television, medical imaging and engineering applications.
It is indeed, the first 3D technology that looks set to bridge the gap between science fiction and science fact, says Inventions.
