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Francis Tuffy

21 Nov. 2023

5 min read

Then and Now – Holography and the Graphic Arts

In the August Holography News® (HN) edition of ‘Then and Now’, I highlighted the role that holograms have played in protecting banknotes from counterfeiting. Looking through the archives of HN I note that at about the same time as the first hologram on a banknote was reported there was an article titled ‘Upper Deck Hits Home Run with Holography’ which told one of the many stories about applications of holograms on trading cards – a phenomenon that took the US by storm in the late 1980s early 90s.

Art & Design

Francis Tuffy

21 Nov. 2023

3 min read

Science and Luxury – Musion3D

The Royal Institution in London is considered to be one of the oldest scientific societies in the world. Over the last two centuries, the building and labs have been home to ground-breaking science engagement, including the world-famous Christmas Lectures1. But for two days at the end of October it housed a demonstration of Musion3D’s heightened reality display – often referred to as holopresence.

Displays Technical Features

Francis Tuffy

21 Nov. 2023

3 min read

Oberthur Demonstrates Dynamic OVD with New Security Thread

In the Spring of 2023, Oberthur Fiduciaire took out a majority stake in Rolling Optics, which was founded in 2005 with solid technical research at the Ångström Laboratory at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Technical Features

Francis Tuffy

21 Nov. 2023

2 min read

Illumetry Unveils its New Holographic Display Device

Even as research into improving the performance of holographic displays continues, display hardware company Illumetry, has recently unveiled its ‘Illumetry EOS’ device – the company’s newest product in its line- up of holographic displays built on its ‘MotionParallax3D’ principle.

Displays

Francis Tuffy

21 Nov. 2023

3 min read

KURZ Tax Stamp Paper Saves Time and the Environment

Enforcing alcohol and tobacco duty payments using tax stamps is a major source of revenue for governments across the world. The process to make the stamps can often be time consuming and limited to printing firms with specialist equipment. But that could be about to change!

Free Technical Features Free

Francis Tuffy

21 Nov. 2023

2 min read

IQ Structures Turns National Symbols into Defence Against Counterfeiters

As IQ Structures, a member of the IQS Group, expands its capacity to protect over 1 billion documents a year, it is looking at ways to simplify the job of the document inspector and frustrate the work of the counterfeiter.

ID & Secure Documents

Francis Tuffy

21 Nov. 2023

2 min read

Sudirman and Captain Kirk – But Not as We Know Them

Another artist to be added to the increasingly long list of deceased performers to be immortalised in holographic form is the late Malaysian singer Sudirman Arshad, or Sudirman as he’s more commonly known.

Displays

Francis Tuffy

30 Oct. 2023

3 min read

Smartphone Report Released

Reconnaissance International is pleased to announce the release of its new one-of-a kind publication – ‘Smartphones for Authentication’

Studies, Reports

Francis Tuffy

30 Oct. 2023

4 min read

Improving the Performance of Holographic Displays

Holographic displays project 3D images that appear to float in space, without needing special glasses to view. This makes them useful for applications like education, entertainment, and medicine, but current holographic displays suffer from limitations in viewing angle, image sharpness and depth of field.

Displays Free Free

Francis Tuffy

30 Oct. 2023

3 min read

What do Audiences Really Think About Holographic Avatars?

At a time when pop stars, sports personalities and politicians are queuing up to have their likenesses enshrined as a hologram for posterity, new research asks whether audiences can really interact with the performer when, in reality, they are not present.

AR & VR

Francis Tuffy

30 Oct. 2023

3 min read

THCO to Address Security, Standards, Sustainability and Excellence in Holography

The programme has now been published for the Holography Conference 2023, taking place 21-22 November, the only global conference for the commercial holography industry, tracking every new development in holography since 1990.

Events

Francis Tuffy

30 Oct. 2023

2 min read

Demax Pushes e-Beam to The Maximum

Demax Holograms was one of the first manufacturers of security holograms in eastern Europe and now sells its products to over 70 different countries. It has been a full member of the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) since 1996 and took the opportunity to present its latest nano-optical elements for physical security at the recent Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum in Tbilisi, Georgia (2-4 October 2023).

Companies Nano-Optics

Francis Tuffy

30 Oct. 2023

5 min read

Holograms on ID Documents – Where Next?

Holography, and other optical security devices, have become a mainstay of document design when it comes to protecting the photo and personally identifiable information on ID cards, passports, visa stickers and other documents for authenticating a person.

ID & Secure Documents

Francis Tuffy

30 Oct. 2023

4 min read

News in Brief

De La Rue has announced that its Authentication division is on track to exceed £100 million in revenue for fiscal year 2024, demonstrating good growth versus 2023 results, and making it the fastest growing division in the company.

News

Francis Tuffy

30 Oct. 2023

3 min read

SAFEGUARD Polymer Shine Spotlight on The Caribbean

Over the course of the past four years, four currency series in the Caribbean have converted to polymer – starting with the East Caribbean dollar in 2019, followed by Trinidad & Tobago in 2020, then Barbados in 2022 and, most recently, Jamaica this summer. With the exception of the Trinidad & Tobago series, they all feature holograms on the higher denominations.

Currency

Francis Tuffy

17 Sept. 2023

2 min read

Holographic Technology Helps Find Needle in a Haystack

Researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) have invented an augmented reality headset that uses holographic principles to allow humans to ‘see’ through opaque surfaces. The invention, dubbed ‘X-AR’, combines wireless sensing with computer vision and a floating holographic sphere to enable users to see hidden items.

Technical Features

Francis Tuffy

17 Sept. 2023

3 min read

BOBST – Still Innovating After All These Years

Ever since surface relief replication became the preferred means of mass production for holography, hot-stamping foil has been a principal method of application – particularly for packaging and secure documents. The machines used to apply holograms at speed and in register are an integral part of the job’s final appearance. Swiss machinery manufacturer, BOBST, has been involved in providing hot-stamp presses to the holography industry for many years, and continues to innovate to this day.

Companies Security Foils Technical Features

Francis Tuffy

17 Sept. 2023

2 min read

HoloCenter Moves to Kingston, NY

Following up on the announcement at the end of last year (see HN November 2022) of the plan to relocate the HoloCenter to the Hudson Valley, we can now report that the HoloCenter is reopening in Kingston, NY, under the guidance of Executive Director, Linda Law.

Companies

Francis Tuffy

17 Sept. 2023

2 min read

Call for Papers and IHMA Awards Nominations

The Holography Conference™ is the only global forum for the commercial holography industry – and has tracked every new development in holography since 1990.

Events

Francis Tuffy

17 Sept. 2023

1 min read

New KINEGRAM Reference Book from KURZ

KURZ, the leading supplier of security foils with diffractive features, has produced a new reference book with a wide selection of images of banknotes that have utilised its KINEGRAM® technology.

Currency

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