Fifteen years into the 21st century, construction-related technology has yet to produce jetpacks, ironworker robots and other items predicted by science fiction. But one futuristic product is already available—three-dimensional holographic prints that provide unique visualizations of project designs and concepts for collaboration.
The technology, developed by Zebra Imaging Inc., Austin, Texas, encodes 3D digital data from a variety of software products onto specially designed polymer film tiles ranging in size from 12 in. by 12 in. to 24 in. by 34 in. using a proprietary imaging process. The tiles are patterned with 0.7-mm hogels—3D picture elements comparable to pixels—that can store vast amounts of data.