Holograms: Not just a thing of the future
Holograms… We usually see them in movies as one of the key features of a futuristic world. In Star Wars, we are introduced to this incredible discovery when Princess Leia sends for help from Obi-Wan-Kenobi. The audience was astonished and intrigued.
Who can forget the Tupac hologram, or the various other celebrities that have been reincarnated, as it were, with light to perform one last time.
Well, now there’s a company in San Diego that wants to make holograms accessible to you much like a desktop computer that brings you personal messages… but they’re holograms!
The name of the company is IKIN and it was founded only four years ago. They are working on volumetric hardware, “neural adaptive” artificial intelligence algorithms and other software to deliver holograms to you that you can view on a small device that can be connected to your phone. Amazing!
This product is not quite ready for its debut. IKIN remains in the beta testing or special order phase. This means that some people out there already have access to this futuristic technology.
Although it appears like the technology is unlike anything else on the market, the commercial availability of products such as virtual reality headsets and smart glasses will definitely give this hologram product a run for its money.
Speaking of smart glasses check out this article about Facebook’s collaboration with Wayfarer for these stylish new smart glasses.
Perhaps there’s not a huge market for Holograms out there today, but the appearance of other volumetric technology is paving the way for there to be one.
If this company succeeds in delivering this consumer friendly hologram without any bulky headgear, the product could find audiences across almost all industries. Perhaps this will be a new version of the Zoom call. You will have to wear pants while working from home. Avoid embarrassing moments.
Holograms could also be an engaging solution to online education. Remote learning would be so much cooler if the professor was a hologram, speaking to you as if physically there. There’s a world of possibilities for hologram uses in healthcare, real estate and gaming, to name a few.
The founder of the company says that he was inspired by the intense emotional experience that holograms bring out in people. He says that he witnessed this in performance venues where holograms of idols such as Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson actually brought people to tears.
IKIN has two main projects in development. The ARC is a 32 inch desktop display that projects holograms in ambient light and is intended to be used in business. At the company’s headquarters, ARC produced a hologram of an eyeball that could be spun and examined from various angles.
The idea is that it can be used to project things such as airplane turbine engines, or model skyscrapers, things that can’t be examined so easily.
IKIN’s second project is an accessory display that attaches to smartphones to enable holographic images on headsets. The RYZ is estimated to cost under $500, so not as expensive as you’d think it would be. The RYZ display is expected to launch sometime next year.
The RYZ will include a software kit that can be uploaded into Unity, the 3D development platform. Unity is already very popular among software developers in all virtual reality platforms.
So, yes, holograms could become mainstream in our lifetime. You might have a holographic device next year. Though it is a new technology, it’s coming under the umbrella of an already established virtual reality market. And with Facebook becoming Meta and moving steadily into the Metaverse, holograms seem to fit right in.
Watch this video: Real Holograms are finally here (and they are very cool).
At American Movie Company we’re very excited about the new developments in Virtual Reality. Check out our AR/VR Video Production Services here.
