Holographic Projections: the future?

Remember our first article? The one with a digitally recreated hologram of 2pac? If you do remember, then you will recall that, in our reflection on the potential for this type of technology, we mentioned that this could be very helpful for things like business conferencing and communicating amongst friends as an alternative to current forms of video conferencing, such as Skype.

Well, apparently someone was listening because today we logged into WIRED and found the following article:

3-D Video Pod Delivers 360-Degree, Holograph-Like Projections

So TeleHuman is a cylinder that transmits real time videoconferences in 3D as well as a 360-degree view of the opposite party.  The unit has two main components: a cylinder with a special display with an internal projection mechanism, and a set of cameras that track and capture your position as you communicate with whomever is on the other end of the conversation. TeleHuman uses Kinect technology (we are assuming their referring to Microsoft Xbox Kinect) and distortion correction to transmit the users movements. This includes 10 different sensors placed adequately to replicate your position from a 360-degree perspective.

The TeleHuman is so sophisticated that it can supposedly allow users to make eye-contact (something that seems impossible to do on current standard video conference units and programs) as well as an accurate depiction of where people are pointing.

Director of Human Media Lab and Professor of Human-Computer Interaction Roel Vertegaal explains the utility of TeleHuman by saying that “when you think about preserving human communication, it’s more about what you leave out rather than what you add. With this system, we’re trying to leave out as little as possible”.

Professor Raul Vertegaal. Photo:Ariel Zambelich/Wired

We can certainly understand Mr. Vertegaal’s idea, and it makes a lot of sense, but apparently including as much reality as possible comes at the expense of image quality and the users visual convenience. Your image is transmitted within the cylinder. Although the image may appear holographic, it is not. The current technology allows only for low-res images and requires the use of special glasses for 3D imaging. If you look at the demonstration video in the bottom of the article you can really sense that what is projected has rather low image quality, despite its innovative nature.

We must take into account that TeleHuman is very new, and it’s purpose brings together a variety of recent, important technologies such as motion sensoring, virtual/augmented reality and improved visual communication that are currently being used in the business world, video games and digital imaging. Although TeleHuman may be too primitive right now to serve a purpose in any particular thing, the article mentions that doctors may use it to make physical examinations without the presence of a patient and it can be used for sports instruction; it has already been used effectively for yoga instructions. We believe that if developed properly it can be used for more day-to-day things like business meetings, conferences, and inter-personal communication (as mentioned in the 2pac article).

Nonetheless, we don’t believe this will revolutionize the way we communicate with each other, simply because it is not a convenient technology for daily use.  Since there is no hologram the cylinder is currently “life size”, standing at 6 feet and 5 inches, which takes up a lot of space. Also most people prefer non visual communication for daily conversations, either because internet speed is too slow to support video, they don’t want to go through the hassle of formally video conferencing another person, or because they simply feel more comfortable without having the visual aspect while talking over the phone or computer.

If you think about how often you use the camera on your phone or computer versus traditional phone calls you know that video conferencing is a niche. At the end of the day technology like TeleHuman can enhance videoconferencing within that particular niche, but it likely won’t alter traditional forms of communicating.

Watch the video...