What if we could see the condition of an object just by looking at it? Imagine a room where the colours of the wall change as it ‘senses’ your mood.

Holograms, currently used for security on bank notes and credit cards, are about to get much smarter.

The 4% annual rise in world demand for architectural paint makes a solid base for applying films containing holographic flakes.

Smart Holograms Ltd is leading an industrial and academic consortium to make paint coatings that contain ‘smart holograms’. Unlike ordinary holograms embossed onto the surface of metal foil, these smart holograms will be flakes immersed in a fi lm and applied like paint.

Smart Holograms was already working on generic R&D with the Institute of Biotechnology at University of Cambridge when Barr Architects suggested using holograms in building features such as windows, walls and lighting systems. These holograms would react to changes in temperature, light, chemicals and moisture.

Working alongside ICI Paints, the project is well on the way towards designing holographic fl akes that might tell when a surface needs repainting or warn of rising damp. These smart paints will have a dramatic impact on the architectural coatings industry. Possibilities include colourchanging ‘mood’ paints, intelligent lighting and shading systems, and diagnostic paints that reveal adverse moisture or chemical build-up.

How the technology works
Receptors detect environmental change, prompting the hologram to change its appearance.

‘Once proven in the building industry, smart holograms could have many spinoff applications such as protecting against counterfeit products, alerting users when a product is contaminated and monitoring medical conditions.’

Smart Holograms