star trek's 'holodeck' becomes reality as life-sized 3D holograms look set to transform video calls

researchers at queen’s university have developed a 3D augmented reality teleconferencing system called telehuman 2, using real-time holograms of people that can be placed anywhere in the world. the system which researchers claim is the ‘first truly holographic video conferencing system‘ is intended to bring video conferences to life, letting people see 360-degree replicas of call participants.

images courtesy of human media lab

designed and created by queen’s university in ontario canada, telehuman 2 uses a ring of intelligent projectors mounted above and around a retro-reflective, human-size cylindrical pod. because the display projects a light field with many images – one for every degree of angle – the device looks set to transform how human’s communicate with one another, offering a way of experiencing augmented reality without the need of a headset or 3D glasses.

a range of depth cameras monitors the user’s movements in three dimensions, and this data is then sent to it’s sister device over the internet. using light-field technology, projections appear as 3D as if inside the pod, and can be walked around and viewed from all sides simultaneously by multiple users.

‘face-to-face interaction transfers an immense amount of non-verbal information,’ said roel vertegaal, professor of human-computer interaction at the queen’s university school of computing, and head of the queen’s human media lab. ‘in a professional environment like a meeting, our latest edition of telehuman technology will do wonders for attendees looking to address colleagues with eye contact or to more effectively manage turn taking.‘