HOLOGRAM SPEEDS CAR DESIGN 

SOME COMPANIES IN BUSINESS TODAY WON'T BE HERE NEXT YEAR. SPEC- TACULAR ADVANCES IN MANY INDUSTRIES ARE MOVING SO FAST THAT NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES BEAR LITTLE RESEMBLANCE TO THOSE OFFERED IN THE PAST. COMPANIES UNAWARE THAT THEIR NEW COMPETITION IS COMING FROM A LOCATION NEVER CONSIDERED IN THE PAST, MAY SOON BE OBSOLETE. FULL WORLD-WIDE INFORMATION SCANNING IS NOW THE ONLY PROTECTION.

TAKE AUTOMOBILES: TO COME UP WITH A NEW AUTO, DESIGNERS USED TO MAKE A 3/8 SCALE MODEL OF THE BEST AND LATEST SKETCHES BY COMPANY ARTISTS. IF THAT MODEL MET THE REQUIRED APPROVALS THE NEXT STEP WAS TO CREATE FULL-SIZE CLAY MODELS. THESE WOULD THEN BE PLACED IN 'REALITY' LOCATIONS TO SEE HOW THEY WOULD LOOK IN FRONT OF YOUR HOME, SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT OR CLASSY RESTAURANT. ONE RECCURRING PROBLEM WAS THAT WHEN MODELS APPROACHED LIFE SIZE THEY LOST SOME OF THE APPEAL APPARENT IN SMALL SCALE. STARTING OVER WAS EXPENSIVE.

NOW THE STEREO HOLOGRAM REPLACES IT ALL. FIRST A CAD (COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN) MODEL IS CREATED. THE NEXT STEP IS THE BREAKTHROUGH. A NEW COMPANY, ADVANCED DIMENSIONAL DISPLAY, HAS JUST SHOWN AT THE MINNEAPOLIS SIGGRAPH EXHIBITION 270 SEPARATE IMAGES OF A NEW FORD CONCEPT CAR. VIEWERS WERE ABLE TO SEE THE AUTOMOBILE IMAGE PROJECTED VIA LOW-LEVEL LASER LIGHT IN WHAT, BECAUSE OF THE WAY OUR EYE TRICKS US, APPEARS TO BE 3D. A TRUE HOLOGRAM. ALTHOUGH THE IMAGE CREATED AT THE SHOW WAS NOT FULL SCALE THAT IS EXPECTED TO BE FEASIBLE WITHIN A YEAR. IT WAS SUCH A COMPLICATED ENDEAVOUR THAT IT TOOK THE CRAY 1/S SUPERCOMPUTER 10 HOURS USING A COLOUR-GRAPHICS SOFTWARE PACKAGE KNOWN AS MOVIE.BYU TO DO IT. MORE INFORMATION: CHRIS OUTWATER, PRES., ADVANCED DIMENSIONAL DISPLAYS, #102-16742 STAGG STREET, VAN NUYS, CA 91406

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REMEMBER THOSE 'WAY-OUT' SPACE COSTUMES YOU SAW IN OLD BUCK ROGERS MOVIES. STICK AROUND. THAT'S NEXT.

"TEMPERATURE-ADAPTABLE FIBRES" THAT PROVIDE INCREASED PROTECTION AGAINST HEAT OR COLD ARE BEING DEVELOPED BY, OF ALL PLACES, THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE OF THE U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE!

EVEN MORE AMAZING IS A FURTHER DEVELOPMENT THAT APPEARS TO MAKE THE PROCESS ALSO APPLICABLE IN BUILDING MATERIALS (LIKE PALC THE NEW 'INSTANT HOME' BUILDING MATERIAL DEVELOPED BY THE JAPANESE). THIS WOULD ALLOW STABALIZATION OF DAY-NIGHT HEATING-COOLING CYCLES IN HOMES OR OTHER SHELTERS. ENERGY SAVINGS, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH COST ELECTRIC HEATING COULD BE DRAMATIC.

THE USDA SCIENTISTS WORKED THIS MAGIC WITH "PLASTIC CRYSTALS", A CLASS OF PHASE-CHANGE MATERIALS KNOWN AS DPM. INCORPORATED INTO HOLLOW TEXTILE FIBRES THE NEW MATERIAL SHOWED TWO TO FOUR TIMES THE THERMAL STORAGE OF UNTREATED FIBRES. INDUSTRIAL INTEREST IS HIGH. REMEMBER WHAT NYLON DID TO SILK! IMAGINE, NEVER BEING COLD AGAIN ON THE SKI SLOPES! MORE INFORMATION: TYRONE L. VIGO, DIRECTOR, ARS, USDA, TEXTILES & CLOTHING LAB, 1303 W. CUMBERLAND AVE., KNOXVILLE, TN 37916

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