Artificial intelligence brings Mona Lisa to life as a hologram

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

The Mona Lisa has been brought to life as a hologram.

Leonardo da Vinci's most famous work has been recreated using AI (artificial intelligence).

A state of the art computer neural network reconstructed the model's enigmatic smile in finer detail than ever before.

The photographic projection of the 16th Century masterpiece could boost medical treatments.

Holograms are used to show patients' organs, such as hearts, during surgery.

They can provide real-time information in 3D and a direct view of internal tools, such as catheters.

Holograms can also improve accuracy during minimally invasive procedures to treat heart rhythm problems.

Lead author Dr. Yue-Sheng Wang, of Tianjin University, China, said: "We chose to recreate the Mona Lisa as a proof of concept. It is so famous almost everyone knows about it.

"It is filled with countless delicate and subtle transitions of layers, which enhances the softness, haziness, and mystery of the painting.

"So it is a great way to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method."

Holograms are displayed in science fiction as colorful, life-sized images. But they are actually the technology of the present, say the international team.

The technique described in Applied Physics Reviews is based on advanced machine learning.

Holograms are created by recording and reconstructing the interference pattern of light or sound waves.

They provide realistic and immersive visual or auditory experiences and can be applied in entertainment, medical imaging, and communication, among other fields.

Metasurfaces, or two-dimensional materials made of an array of tiny components, can help a lot with the process.

Wang said: "A metasurface-based hologram works by precisely controlling the phase and amplitude of the waves interacting with the metasurface.

"As a result, the outgoing waves at each pixel exhibit a certain amplitude and phase, which results in the desired holographic image based on their interference."

The researchers wanted to develop a method to boost efficiency and precision. An algorithm customized antenna-like structures within the metasurface.

By reducing inconsistencies between the original and holographic image, they tweaked it into a high-quality hologram.

It successfully reconstructed the Mona Lisa, and, in even more detail, her left eye.

The technique can be extended to create three-dimensional images as well.

Wang said: "The precise control of sound waves offered by our holography method is crucial for advancing non-invasive medical therapies, effective noise control, and optimizing acoustic environments like concert halls."

Holograms, encoded in a 3D-printed plate, are used to shape sound fields

Wang said: "These improvements have the potential to enhance quality of life and various technological applications."

The researchers hope the technique will revolutionize holography. They plan to explore ways to generalize it, make it compatible with 3D printing, and reduce training time.