4/21/2017: Blog 9: Last Finishing touches

4/21/2017: Blog 9: Last Finishing touches

Zongxi Huang

This week, we managed to achieve the finishing touches and to complete our project. For instance, we successfully completed the improved version of the holographic projector. This change was necessary because the previous model had several flaws, including the fact that it could not project a 3 dimensional object upright. Instead, it projected the image in an oblique view. Hence, we decided to build a new one with new dimensions including a smaller base and a shorter height. This new version of the projector proved to be more effective at projecting images into a holographic state and the quality of the hologram was superior when using this new projector. However, there were some drawbacks that emerged with the building of this projector. For instance, it was wider than the previous projector and it was somewhat aesthetically worse than the last one as it could not stand entirely upright. Through our efforts , however, we were able to solve these issues and move on to our next objective. 

The next phase in the completion of our project was the assembly of a cover box for the projector. As the holographic projector functioned much like a normal projector, it would require a relatively dark environment. As a result, in order to solve this problem, we decided to build a container to our projector in order to offer greater degrees of darkness for a better performance of the hologram. Using Rhinos and the laser cutter, we were able to quickly cut out and assemble a cardboard container that could fit the iPad and the projector. It also had several removable panels that could be taken away in order to offer the viewer with a 360 degree view of the hologram or to be put back on if the brightness was too high for the hologram to work properly. Due to the relatively simple nature of the container, we did not encounter major issues during the assembly of the container. With the last element of our project completed, it is safe to say that we have successfully completed our project in time.