Cisco unveiled WebEx Hologram in October 2021, an augmented reality conference session that promises "photorealistic, real-time holograms of actual people" and the ability to "share physical and digital content."
Several persons tested a prototype of the service. They described the findings as "intriguing."
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - OCTOBER 10: The multimedia-installation 'L.I.R' (Livre in Room) with the hologram of the lector Adolfo Bioycasares pictured in the French host country exhibition of the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse) on October 10, 2017 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The 2017 fair, which is among the world's largest book fairs, will be open to the public from October 11-15.
Cisco Hologram: Microsoft HoloLens 2
Nine News had the opportunity to put it to the test. A VR headset is required to participate in a WebEx Hologram session. Therefore Cisco provided them with a Microsoft HoloLens 2.
According to Cisco officials, the image refreshes 30 times per second. Still, it seemed stifled as the testers walked around the room.
"What's promising is that Cisco's technology is 'platform agnostic,' which means it'll work on headsets of the future," Nine News reported. "It's like Zoom on steroids."
Meanwhile, The Register, which also tried the HoloLens, noted that the colors were strange and that the borders of moving objects were sometimes pixelated before resolving into crisper outlines.
The Register also came away from the experience "impressed and intrigued without a clear sense" of how this technology would improve productivity.
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The same Nine News report said Cisco has pushed the envelope with over 60 cameras. To present as a hologram, all you need is one.
Nine News said the Hololens, Microsoft's second generation of augmented reality glasses, has a 52-degree field-of-view, which is small compared to contemporary VR headsets.
Cisco believes that anyone working on three-dimensional content will like holograms. Product designers were mentioned a few times.
The service will not be available as a bundled product for at least a year.
The HoloLens starts at $3,500, but Cisco assured The Register that the holograms would work with other VR/AR headsets.
As Facebook (Meta) works towards its Metaverse, Google refines its AR glasses, and speculations swirl around an Apple-designed headset. It's easy to be swept up in the promise of possibilities.
Cisco's technology may be created with cooperation in mind. Still, it means you're chatting to a person wearing a headset that obscures their eyes and expressions.
It's natural when the presenter isn't wearing a headset, which works better with a one-to-many set-up rather than one-on-one.
The world is far from embracing virtual reality in mass and possibly further away with augmented reality, but the goal is becoming apparent.
How Hologram, Augmented Reality Works
Holograms are three-dimensional pictures created by interfering light beams reflecting real-world objects. Unlike traditional 3D projections, Holograms may be viewed with the naked eye, Respeecher reported.
Holograms might be made in two ways - digitally using augmented reality glasses or physically with optical displays.
According to the same Respeecher report, Holography is a special type of photography in which 3D things are captured with a laser and then reconstructed as closely as possible to the original item. Holograms may create an accurate 3D clone of an item and mimic its features when lit by a laser.
Two light waves, a reference wave, and an object wave must be synchronized in motion to generate an accurate depiction of a hologram at a specific place in space. The laser beam is separated to create both.
The light source generates the reference wave, while the object wave is reflected from the recorded item. In addition, based on the distribution of electromagnetic radiation (interference) in a particular location, a photographic plate with black stripes is "imprinted."
The ordinary photographic film goes through a similar process. However, printing on photographic paper is necessary to duplicate a picture from it. When holographic technology is actively used, things are different.
To duplicate a "portrait," another light wave near the reference wave must "illuminate" the photographic plate, converting both waves into a new wave of light that runs alongside the object wave. The end product is a near-perfect replica of the original thing. Watch this short film to learn more about how holograms are created.
Applications of Hologram
According to The Conversation, these are the three most fascinating holograms applications.
Medicine
As a tool for visualizing patient data while teaching trainees and surgeons, holography has the potential to revolutionize medicine.
Advanced imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound scans, are used by many medical systems to create complicated data. This electrical data is often used to display a flat image on a computer screen, but it may also be utilized to create full-color, computer-generated 3D holographic images.
Military
Geographic information is a crucial component of military strategy, and fully dimensional holographic pictures are being utilized to enhance surveillance. The US army has received approximately 13,000 3D holographic maps of "battle spaces" from one American firm. Soldiers can examine three-dimensional terrain and gaze "around" corners, which aids mission training.
The ability to "unroll" a precise 3D holographic depiction of new terrain has strategic benefits. Still, such technologies tend to percolate down to the common public. At some time, we could see flexible 3D Google Maps.
Data Storage
Holograms don't have to capture information about a visual item; they may also record pure data, which can be pages and pages long. They also provide long-term stability. It stores data in three dimensions, and the pages in the storage area can overlap.
For more than 50 years, researchers have speculated about the potential of holographic data storage. It appears that they are coming closer to a working system. Indeed, as computers increasingly rely on light (photons) rather than electricity (electrons), holographic storage may become the preferred method of data storage.
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