Photochromic sculpture: volumetric color-forming pixels

In contrast to light-emitting displays like plasma display panels (PDPs) and liquid crystal displays (LCDs), color-forming displays like "E-Ink" which displays information by reflecting surrounding light are being actively researched as a technology that is easy on the eye and can even be applied in bright places such as outdoors in sunlight. Applying photochromic materials (PM) for controlling color in this manner, Photochromic Canvas [Hashida et al.2010] and Slow Display [Saakes et al.2010], which are combined with projected-light systems, make it possible to control color without contact with the surface of an object. In this paper, the concept, namely, "contactless color control," is extended to volumetric space, and "volumetric color-forming pixels" are successfully created. This paper proposes a system referred to as "photochromic sculpture" which can generate a dynamically changeable 3D sculpture. (see Figure 1).