Creative Science Foundation - CSf

A partnership with you to create the future

CSf Holonovels:  New Frontiers for Engaging Arts and Sciences in Future-Oriented Design & Education

11th of September 2017

Ramsey Lecture Theater, Canterbury Christ Church University

In 2017 the first  CSf Holonovel Workshop was hosted by the European Association For Innovation (EAI) at the conference ‘Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Education (TIE’17)”. The focal point for the workshop, was the concept of the  STAR TREK ® Holodeck which was used as as inspiration for the stories and discussions. In general, a Holodeck is a space in which simulations of people,  objects and environments exist, which seem to be so real in nature that they can be interacted with in ways that are essentially identical to the real physical world. The Holodeck is, of course, an imaginary concept but its futuristic nature acted as a catalyst for innovative ideas that are intended to be transferable to our own world. In this way the Holonovel Workshop provided an enabling forum to discuss a range of innovation topics from new technologies to societal developments, providing a plot device to frame stories and discussions in keeping with many Star Trek episodes (see e.g. episode: Star Trek, Next Generation, Season 6, Episode 12, Ship in a Bottle).

In support of this theme, the workshop called for the narrative contributions in the form of  “holonovels” (see end-note) or methodologies for creating or applying them resulting in creating the following programme of presentations.

Holonovel 2017 Presentation Programme

Chairs: Tiina Kymäläinen (VTT, Finland), Jim Hensman (Coventry University, UK)

The proceedings of the CSF HOLODECK 2017 were published as part of the proceedings of TIE 2017 by Springer.

Keynote Speakers

Gene (Eugene) Dolgoff

The Holodeck and other stories

Talk Synopsis – In this talk I will trace the events that lead to the birth of the Holodeck concept. My story includes the creation of the first holography laboratory in New York City (in 1964), where I invented holographic transfer printing, founding Projectavision, the world’s first dedicated digital projection company in 1988, and setting up two cutting edge high-tech companies, The 3D Source, Inc. and 3-D Vision, Inc. As a good friend of science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, I was introduced to Arthur C. Clarke and had the opportunity to influence his science fiction writing. I will, of course describe the Holodeck story, which began when I was delivering a technical paper on my holographic model of the universe and the human brain in 1973, first at a conference in New York and then in Prague. There, I met Dr. Anrija Puharich and his collaborator, Melanie Toyofuku, who introduced me to her close friend Gene Roddenberry (screenwriter/producer of the original Star Trek television series). I demonstrated many holograms to him, explaining theories of “matter holograms”, which refer to the holographic nature of the universe, and the holographic nature of the human brain. I emphasized the importance holography will play in the future and that if Roddenberry wanted to be accurate he should introduce holography into his Star Trek scripts, including the concept of a holographic “room” for the crew to use for amusement, training, and other purposes. The rest can be considered as well-known history. Of course, these ideas are now starting to be realised in innovations such as HoloLens, Augmented/Mixed Reality (AR/MR), Virtual Reality (VR), Holosuites, and HumaGrams – which can be traced back to the original Holodeck idea. I will also discuss my newest advances in my theories of our holographic universe and how various other current science fiction concepts will become science fact in the future.

Bio – Gene Dolgoff was educated, and later taught a holography course he authored, at the City University of New York, where he majored in Physics, Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering, and minored in physiological-psychology. Mr. Dolgoff has made enormous contributions in the fields of science and science fiction. To many he is best known as the man who invented the world’s very first LCD projector. However, for science-fiction fans, he is undoubtedly and spectacularly known as the man who put the idea of Holodeck into the minds of the Star Trek creators. His journey was filled with numerous momentous achievements, such as building the first holography laboratory in New York City (1964) and inventing holographic transfer printing, used for security on credit cards, before founding Projectavision, the world’s first dedicated digital projection company in 1988 (listed on NASDAQ in 1990), and working on such prestigious projects as the development of the U.S. HDTV system. On route, he founded and became CEO/CTO of The 3D Source, Inc. (which created 3-D moving imagery for advertising, promotions, medical imaging, etc) and 3-D Vision, Inc. (which develops 3-D TV technologies, and holographic video projection systems). His life can be seen as an embodiment of TIE’17s central theme, creativity and innovation (science and science-fiction) and as a form of proof of the value of the ever-evolving affiliation between technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and education.

Mohammed-Asif Akhmad

How BAE innovates; from a product ideas to prototypes and market commercialisation (The Bone Conductor)

Talk Synopsis – This talk provided some insights into the process of developing technologies in industry from idea to working product, with an overview of the BAE Systems Bone Conduction system. The presentation included the opportunity to try out a prototype version of the bone conductor, allowing attendees to experience a different method of hearing.

Bio – Mohammed-Asif Akhmad is a Principal Research Scientist at BAE Systems Applied Intelligence Laboratories. His role includes the rapid prototyping and experimental testing of novel communications, sensors and optical based technologies. One of the technologies he has helped to develop at BAE Systems is bone conduction technology for transmitting sound (Mohammed-Asif Akhmad is shown in the picture above, demonstrating the ‘bone conductor’ invention to the Duchess of Cambridge). In particular, this technology is aimed at helping soldiers to receive clear audio communications in loud environments, where standard military headphones are not as effective.

Related Web Links:

 

Note on The Structure of Holonovels

Holonovels’ are structured like any academic paper with a title, abstract, Introduction (setting out the reasons for writing the ‘holonovel’), background (any supporting external work or ideas that have motivated or can contextualise the ‘holonovel’), the fictional narrative (the story that illustrates the use of the idea) which is the largest section (and main focus of the paper) and a short reflection that discusses how the holonovel might influence the future (eg areas that might be important to investigate through research, aspects that, if realised in reality, might be particularly beneficial or, perhaps dangerous etc). The length of a holonovel depends on the restrictions imposed by the host conference but can be anything between  6-15 pages.

*STAR TREK, HOLODECK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.

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