Holograms: From science fiction to everyday life

Holograms are an element that sci-fi movies rarely lack: from the classic scene of a person-portrait projected in three dimensions from laser technology, to the interactive planes that allow the heroes to devise their next play. Despite the fact that this technology has been available in practice since the 1960s, it is difficult for us to determine how it has permeated our daily lives and, above all, the potential benefits of its application in different areas of our society, beyond the theater. applications and decoration.

In Germany, the circus solved the ethical dilemma of using animals in its functions by taking them to the digital world, replacing living creatures with fantastic projections that combine lights and space without cruelty. In Japan, some hotels allow guests to interact with holographic receptionists while selecting their rooms from touch screens. In Barcelona, ​​this same technology was used to welcome and guide tourists through the airport and city. In Australia, the commercialization of the first multi-user 3D table that allows for group creation and interaction, mixing 3D projections with augmented reality technologies has begun. In show business, holograms were used in celebrity interviews, concerts, and even entertaining great deceased artists. However, the question remains: What is the true potential of holograms to improve society?

Holograms in their simplest form have been in our wallet for a long time: some banknotes and IDs use them to reduce counterfeiting. In this case it is simple, they simply change the color or shape from different points of view. In the business world, 3D holograms have begun to be used to display products on display, answer customer questions, or simply advertise. During the pandemic, this technology has gained importance by allowing “face-to-face” communication between two or more people from a healthy distance and without the risk of infection. From corporate teleconferencing to projecting 3D prototypes when creating a new product or building design, experts assure that the hologram will gradually be integrated into our daily lives as we transition to a new scheme, the telepresence scheme.

Telepresence will allow us to have immersive real-time experiences when shopping, traveling, studying and meeting, allowing us to integrate into physical environments without leaving our homes. It can help accelerate a paradigm shift in a hyper-digital world where the transition to an augmented reality environment is an ally to combat climate change and pollution while improving people’s quality of life and well-being. Not to mention there are projects under development at different universities that aim to rely on air currents and physical components to simulate touch and temperature in holograms, creating immersive experiences where different senses come into play.

Holographic communication, integrated with other technologies such as The Internet of thingsIt can also contribute to the health care of people with mobility problems. With the help of this, medical staff can closely examine their patients without the need to travel. By bringing video calling to a new level of closeness and depth, wonders can be achieved in this field, without neglecting mental health, where lonely people or people with some type of disability can receive professional care from people even from miles away. , they could see as if they were there at that moment, without losing the courage to be able to observe in detail the expressions and gestures of their interlocutors.

Not only does this technology allow communication to be transmitted at a high level of detail. At the Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, ​​the first surgical intervention was performed with the support of a three-dimensional anatomical model, which allowed professionals to monitor the recovery of the various organs and structures of the patient’s body before and during the intervention, reaching a higher level of detail and understanding the effect of each procedure, as well as identifying the risks In time during the operation, strategic planning and eliminating confounding factors.

Imagine what can be achieved in terms of diagnosis: examining the patient’s body and being able to study the hologram in depth and in great detail to understand the scale and origin of various health problems.

We are on the cusp of a new technological transformation that will once again allow the constraints of time and space to be reduced. Although it is increasingly common, it is still a few years before this technology becomes affordable enough to democratize. With this technology, the impossible becomes easily achievable with human imagination the key to unlocking it. What other application can you think of for this technology?