The three-dimensional image of Princess Leia broadcasting her distress message is part of popular culture. Even those who have not seen the films of the saga, easily associate the holograms with Star Wars. If anything, holographic technology has a promising path ahead. The arrival of 5G will allow heavier images to be transmitted through networks. In this way, it will be easier for these 3D images to be adopted as a standard in communication between people.

Video calls, so common since the pandemic took over our routines, could be made using a 3D hologram. It’s not just the speed of the network that will influence our ability to deal with holograms. Also the low latency. These two aspects, of paramount importance in 5G, will allow images to be transmitted properly and not be unbalanced or suffer interruptions.

The origin of holography

The differences between holography and photography are obvious. The second captures a two-dimensional snapshot, while the first offers three-dimensional or multidimensional information. When the viewer moves they will see different angles of the projection and this will make sense at all times.

This result is reached through decades of research. One of the pioneers in this field was Dennis Gabor, who studied Mechanical Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Budapest and the University of Berlin. There he began to work in one of the physics laboratories of the Siemens company. Following Hitler’s rise to power, he was forced to leave Germany because of his Jewish origins. And it was in 1947, in the United Kingdom, when he happened upon a new method of forming images on a circular transparent slide. He called that technique holography, for ‘holos’ (everything, in Greek). Its discovery went unnoticed at first but years later it gained international recognition. So much so that in 1971, Gabor received the Nobel Prize in Physics.

How holograms work

It can be said that a hologram is a record of the interference that occurs between two beams of light when the light from one of the beams reflects off the object. This registration is carried out with a laser beam on a photosensitive film. From there, it is possible to generate a three-dimensional projection of the image.

When it comes to image projection, it’s really just a matter of having the right receiving device. “Holography works the same as live streaming, but changing the final screen for a holographic device”, point out from the technical department, specialized in holography. “Although it is always necessary to follow the specific technical parameters of lighting and recording as per techguff.com.”

5G as a boost for holography

In the field of holographic images, 5G will be a boost. The graphics are very heavy, so the high speeds offered by the new generation of networks are adequate. But also its low latency, thus avoiding interruptions. Otherwise, the projections may suffer cuts and decompensation.

“Currently enough powerful network connections are needed to avoid delays in full HD broadcasts,” they point out from 3DH. “ With the arrival of 5G we hope to avoid these delays and to be able to broadcast in 4k without problems . It will help us a lot in the retransmission of holographic images ”.

There have been several pilots who have made video calls with holograms via 5G networks. And this is one of the applications being considered as a driver of the new connectivity. It is based on augmented reality. Two people could sit quietly chatting, each with the other’s hologram.

It seems like a thing of the future, but in 2017 the first international video call was already made. It was made between Seoul and New Jersey. In South Korea, KT Telecom, one of the participants in the project, pointed out that this type of communication would be available with the new 5G. The idea is to provide a greater sense of reality. From the flat image of video conferencing, it would move to a three-dimensional one, which would capture much more detail, such as body language.

The following year another milestone took place in the field of holography. Mischa Dohler, a professor of wireless communications at King’s College London and a music composer, demonstrated the capabilities of the technology at a concert. It was a live event, where he acted as a pianist on stage while his daughter sang through a hologram. The holography showed the girl a few meters from the piano, singing to the rhythm of her melody. The two were 1,000 kilometers apart, but the latency was minimal, so the result was impressive.

It’s just two glimpses of what holograms can do. From 3DH they list, as the main applications of technology, ” communications, events, exhibitions, fairs, shops, and businesses “. Although they point out that they are currently developing “new holographic applications for education, in schools, and the cultural sphere, for museums.”

Meetings via holographic telepresence

With current technology, it is possible to generate video calls with holograms. This is what the project offers a telepresence system that shows an assistant remotely through volumetric video. For this, augmented reality techniques will be used. Participants in this holographic meeting will have to wear HoloLens 2 type glasses.

The remote assistant will be staged in a 3D augmented reality figure. The idea is that it can be observed from all angles. A factor that will be useful for training in different areas, such as rehabilitation techniques or medical interventions. But objects can also be displayed in 3D, which will be useful when examining prototypes in industry, for example.

It will be necessary to deploy a volumetric capture room. This will feature multiple depth cameras, such as Intel’s RealSense. What they will do is capture the 3D figure of a person in real-time. From there, the images will be generated using Evercoast software. To send them, considerable bandwidth will be needed and here 5G comes into play. Thanks to edge computing processing, multidimensional images can be served to meeting attendees.

Video calls with a 3D hologram on mobile

The next step is to take the holograms to much more everyday terrain. This is what some initiatives that have put smartphones in the spotlight are looking for. From these devices, they have been able to generate holographic images, although not always with good resolution.

One of the methods used is simply an optical game to channel the light, with a simple pyramid projector. Of course, it is not the most advanced, but today almost all holograms generated with smartphones need some type of projector. Although some have tried to create them using only miniaturized technology, integrated into the smartphone, such as HoloFlex. For the moment, the results have to improve.

The year 2010 doesn’t seem like that long ago, but technology moves fast. A decade ago, Tinder, Uber, and Instagram didn’t exist. No one was using wearables, no one was talking to their devices at home, and the Tesla car was just an idea. Now we are facing an atypical year in which 2020 has led us to “press the accelerator” of new technologies.

Just to monitor the spread of the pandemic, an unprecedented supply of innovations has been unleashed. For example, in areas like digital health. Thus, successful solutions for tracking infection outbreaks using our smartphones have been revealed.

New technologies that help us during changing times

The COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting effect not only on our economy but also on the way we go about our daily lives. Proof of this is found in the following fields with new technologies such:

Online shopping and robotic deliveries

The pandemic became a great opportunity for the implementation of new technologies. Delivery app Meituan Dianping launched a “contactless delivery” initiative in China, starting to use autonomous vehicles. This to send food orders to customers in the Shunyi district of Beijing.

Similarly, COVID-19 has made the online shopping process a must around the world. Another example is found in the bars in Beijing that offer happy hours through online orders thanks to the CRMs making their door-to-door deliveries.

Online shopping today requires being backed by a solid logistics system. Many businesses and restaurants in the United States, China, and the United Kingdom launched contactless delivery services. To better understand that, let’s take Milton Keynes buyers as an example.

In this case, people were suddenly served by a small army of 80 delivery robots. These robots are operated by the Estonian company Starship. In this way, they brought purchases to homes without the need for human contact thanks to the use of new technologies.

Contactless and digital payments

Contactless payments have also become an essential solution for all businesses. The reason is that it allows them to boost their business and ensure more security. According to a survey by RTi Research (2020), around 30% of respondents have started using contactless payments since the pandemic began.

Besides, according to a report published by Research Dive (2020), the global contactless payments market is expected to generate revenues of $ 20,340.3 million by 2026. Fear of infection has led people to opt for payment with no contact. For example, nearly 79% of MasterCard users prefer contactless payments during the pandemic period.

Remote work

A new study of pandemic-induced remote workers and their employers by Harvard Business School researchers (2020) suggests that at least 16% will remain, remote workers, even after the COVID-19 crisis has receded. Remote work is enabled by technologies including virtual private networks (VPN). Also through the use of voice protocols (VoIP) such as AlloCovid, virtual meetings, and cloud technology. As well as collaboration tools at work and even facial recognition technologies.

In addition to preventing the spread of viruses, remote work is also saving millions of dollars in carbon gas emissions into the atmosphere. While reducing travel times, trips and provides more flexibility.

Telemedicine

The need for new technological innovations and digital capabilities accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This underscores the importance of data and virtual monitoring to serve all patients who can also make an appointment online. This while hospitals focus on patients with the virus.

New technologies, such as the use of artificial intelligence chatbots that provide patients with essential communication, have grown amid the pandemic. It has also spurred innovation in remote monitoring platforms in hospitals and healthcare systems around the world.

To continue caring for patients who do not require hospitalization, engineers at the University of California, San Diego built a remote monitoring program.

Generally speaking, it automatically transmits data from patients’ wearable devices. It then uploads them to a dashboard that health servers can monitor and use to intervene when needed.

Defeating future pandemics using new technologies

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of digital readiness through new technologies. Its use in all aspects allows business and life to continuing as usual. Building the infrastructure necessary to support a digitized world and stay nourished with new technologies will be essential for any company or country. Consequently, the best-prepared countries will remain competitive in a post-pandemic world. As well as to adopt an inclusive and people-centered approach.