Microsoft HoloLens delivers 'Star Wars' holographic message we've been waiting for
Microsoft's HoloLens has delivered some pretty cool imagery in recent months, but many are still wondering what practical use they'd have for the device on a daily basis.
Microsoft may have just answered that question by showing off its HoloLens-powered holoportation system.
See also: Microsoft leaks new HoloLens details
It transmits 3D models of people in remote places in real-time to the HoloLens wearer.
When the person being captured on the other end is situated in a room with an identical layout, the dynamic offers the HoloLens wearer the effect of interacting with a holographic version of the person in their own room.
A video demonstration (top of the page) of the holoportation system shows a ghost-like, translucent image of the person being viewed by the HoloLens wearer.
But the what might be the coolest part of the demonstration is when we're shown how such remote recordings, which include audio, can be recorded and miniaturized for playback later.
The image immediately evokes the iconic scene from Star Wars in which a holographic Princess Leia delivers a message via R2D2. However, in this case, we're not looking at Hollywood special effects, but a real product.
It only took about four decades, but the Princess Leia holographic message is now real, assuming you're wearing the HoloLens.
No commercial release date for the holoportation system has been announced, so it may be some time before the public actually gets to use it. Nevertheless, Microsoft will begin shipping the $3,000 device to developers on March 30.
