[Reading Science] Iron Man Hologram Core Technology Exists in Korea

Active Development and Fundamental Research of Metamaterials in Korea

The artificial intelligence named Jarvis appearing in the movie Iron Man

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Research on metamaterials is actively underway in South Korea as well. In a situation where the limitations of existing materials and technologies are clear, efforts are being made to develop new materials to achieve a quantum jump (great leap forward).

Conceptual diagram of a hologram interactive combining metamaterial and liquid crystal technology.

A representative example is the core technology that can realize the hologram interactive technology seen in the movie "Iron Man." In November last year, Professor Noh Joon-seok of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology and his team combined metamaterials with liquid crystal technology to develop an ultra-small hologram device that can quickly respond to external stimuli and change images. It can respond to both temperature and touch to change the hologram image, and can generate very clear hologram images in the visible light range with wavelengths of 450 to 700 nm. It is expected to be a clue to advancing high-definition holographic video playback optical devices, temperature-sensitive hologram sensors, and future interactive and haptic hologram technologies.

Professor Noh also succeeded in manufacturing an ultra-thin optical lens with a thickness one ten-thousandth that of conventional lenses using metamaterials. When applied on an ordinary lens, it can function as a high-performance composite refractive lens. This technology is attracting attention as it can solve the "katukttwi" (protruding camera on smartphones) phenomenon and be used in virtual reality (VR) and wearable computing.

Professor No Jun-seok, Pohang University of Science and Technology.

The core technology for the "invisibility cloak" featured in the movie "Harry Potter" has also already been developed. In 2017, Professor Park Nam-gyu’s team at Seoul National University proposed for the first time a core theory that separates and controls various key properties (physical properties) of metamaterials and can freely adjust them to desired values, and succeeded in experiments. For various applications of metamaterials, core technology that can freely separate and control unique properties to desired values was needed, which had been an unsolved problem for over ten years. Earlier, in 2014, Professor Kim Kyung-sik’s team at Yonsei University succeeded in creating smart metamaterials whose refractive index distribution automatically changes to match cloaking performance even under deformation such as folding or bending. The research team devised an unusual metamaterial that does not exist in nature, which, unlike silicone rubber that becomes wider when pressed strongly from above, becomes slimmer.

Harry Potter's 'Invisibility Cloak' Becomes Reality
Photo by SBS News

Metamaterials that can hide from flowing water or wind have also been developed. Professor Song Young-seok’s team at Dankook University developed metamaterials that can be free from resistance of air or water. When applied to automobiles, it can run at high speed as if driving in a vacuum, and when applied to buildings, it can make wind or waves bypass them. Although the theory existed before, Professor Song’s team was the first to experimentally realize a drag-free space where drag is '0'.

There are also metamaterials developed by the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials that can amplify infrared spectroscopic detection signals by more than 100 times. They designed special functional materials with ultra-fine structures arranged on the surface shorter than the wavelength of light, increasing the intensity of light absorbed by molecules. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology also developed a nano-optical tweezer using metamaterials that can capture micro-sized substances ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers, such as microplastics and biopolymers, enabling real-time quantitative and qualitative analysis.