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T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E U K O F F S H O R E O I L A N D G A S I N D U S T R Y
viewers to look inside and see them
from different perspectives.
“I started doing some research and it
all snowballed from there,” describes
Javid. He decided the way forward was
to join a PhD programme. He relocated
to Scotland and joined an engineering
doctorate programme that ran across
several Scottish universities.
With funding in place through the
programme, he spent a year studying at
St Andrews and Heriot-Watt universities
and then another three on technology
development within his start-up
company, Holoxica, based at the
University of Edinburgh.
He explains: “The initial focus was on
theoretical research – on algorithms,
running data on supercomputers,
graphics processing with lots of signal
processing. We were then equipped
to make the basic components of our
prototype display.” An early result of
this work is the ability to make static
3D digital holograms to present
engineering designs.
Holographic technology applies the
physical principles of diffraction –
or the ‘bending’ of light as it passes
through structures that are similar in
size to the light itself – to form 3D
images. Holoxica’s first product, the
digital hologram, takes the form of
a photopolymer sheet made using a
holographic printer. The 3D data for
the ‘pop-out picture’ is embedded into
the light-sensitive sheet by the printer.
When a light is shone on it, the image
emerges on the other side in 3D.
Javid notes that “although the approach
required a lot of theoretical work
initially, at some point, you need to
translate that into tools and methods
that can generate engineering products.
You require technical excellence first
and foremost, but you must be prepared
to make that transition towards
commercialisation. It’s about responding
to customer needs. For larger designs,
cost savings gained through holograms
can be considerable – up to seven times
that of a physical model.”
The technology can be used to present,
in elaborate detail, oil and gas assets
ranging from platforms to floating,
production, storage and offloading
(FPSO) vessels, or their individual
component parts. The next step is
to create motion video holographic
3D displays and this is still in the
research phase.
From the classroom to
the boardroom
Don Walker, an experienced project
engineer in optical-mechanical product
design, has been helping to lead spin-out
company PhotoSynergy Limited (PSL)
from the University of St Andrews and
he couldn’t agree more on the need to
focus on the target market when taking
academic research to the next level.
“You require technical excellence first and foremost, but
you must be prepared to make that transition towards
commercialisation. It’s about responding to customer needs.”
PhotoSynergy Limited, a spin-out company from the University of St Andrews, has launched LIGHTPATH, a side-emitting flexible fibre
that projects a continuous and flexible line of light carrying no electrical power. It can guide deep water divers and remotely-operated vehicle
(ROV) pilots through dark, often hazardous, conditions. Pictured are tests conducted at The Underwater Centre in Fort William
