Fans of space series and movies are probably familiar with the concept of holographic doctors in “Star Trek” or the “Star Wars” franchise. However, this is not science fiction, but a reality that materializes more every day.
In 2021, for the first time, a team of NASA doctors was “teleported,” or rather “holoported” or “holoported,” into space to visit astronauts living aboard the International Space Station (ISS). ) hundreds of kilometers above the Earth’s surface, as revealed by NASA.
The possible future applications of hologram technology in space are far-reaching. The technology could be used for everything from advanced medical treatment to mission support.
First people to have their 3D images projected in space
According to the US space agency press release, Using the Microsoft HoloLens Kinect camera and a personal computer with customized Aexa software, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet had a two-way conversation with live images of NASA flight surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid and Fernando De La Peña Llaca, CEO of the software provider Aexa Aerospace, who thus became the first people to have their 3D images projected in outer space.
“This is a completely new way of human communication over great distances,” Schmid said in the statement. “Also, it’s a totally new form of human exploration, where our human entity is able to travel off-planet. Our physical body is not there, but our human entity is absolutely there,” he added.
Members of the Holotransport team are seen virtually projected on the International Space Station, on October 8, 2021. From left to right: Andrew Madrid, Dr. Fernando De La Pena Llaca, RIhab Sadik, Dr. Joe Schmid, Kevin Bryant, Mackenzie Hoffman, Wes Tarkington.
Although Microsoft’s teleportation technology has been around – in various stages of development – for several years, it has never been used for anything this ambitious.
HoloLens: mixed reality smart glasses
For the holotransport, which compresses and transmits live 3D models of people, it was necessary to use a “mixed reality smart glasses” such as HoloLens, which, with sensors, optics and holographic processing technology, allow users to see, Hear and interact with remote participants in 3D as if they were actually present in the same physical space.
According to NASA, this “new form of communication” is a precursor to the wider use of holograms in future space missions. “We will use it for our private medical conferences, private psychiatric conferences, private family conferences, and to bring important people to the space station to visit the astronauts,” NASA officials wrote.
Augmented reality with haptics
“Imagine you can bring the best instructor or actual designer of a particularly complex technology right next to you, wherever you’re working on it,” Schmid said. “In addition, we will combine augmented reality with haptics,” added Schmid.
Haptics refers to technology that can simulate touch using things like vibrations or motors. “They will be able to work together on the device, like two of the best surgeons working during an operation. This would give everyone peace of mind knowing that the best team is working together on a critical piece of hardware,” he said.
Edited by Felipe Espinosa Wang.