With a so-called holobox, people can theoretically be connected digitally on a screen from anywhere in the world – even if they are already deceased. A British university now wants to use this technology in the lecture hall.
Lessons from Albert Einstein or Marie Curie in person instead of just from a textbook? What sounds far-fetched is now theoretically already possible with the help of holoportation technology – or rather, with a so-called holobox.
Holobox: How the dead come back as holograms
The Holobox was developed in collaboration with the US companies Proto and Holoconnects. The two-metre-high and 1.40-metre-wide box can display visualizations of people, products or logos.
This is pre-recorded video material from the studio that has been post-processed using AI technology and 3D software. Alternatively, people can also be transmitted live and in real time from any camera or cell phone. This creates content that is projected life-size onto a transparent LCD screen – and looks like holograms.
David Nussbaum founded Proto four years ago after working on holograms for dead celebrities. He told The Guardian that his company would soon bring some of the 20th century’s greatest thinkers back from the dead.
In his view, Proto has the technology to project an image of deceased physicist Stephen Hawking or another person and make it look as if they were really there.
“We can connect it to books, lectures, social media – anything that had to do with him, any question, any interaction with him. A Stephen Hawking AI would look like him, sound like him and interact as if it were him.”
British university uses hologram box in lectures
If you look at the possible applications, it hardly seems surprising that the Holobox has long since found its way into the lecture hall. US universities are already using the technology on a regular basis. Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England, is now the first European university to use the Holobox in teaching. However, it is initially concentrating on live lecturers.
“The device enables live streaming from anywhere in the world for real-time interactive learning experiences, expanding the possibilities for teaching and research while reducing carbon footprint,” the university said in a blog post.
In future, guest speakers from universities and industry worldwide will be able to speak live in lectures, give presentations and answer students’ questions.
After a year of testing, the technology is to be officially included in the curriculum in 2025. And who knows, perhaps British students will also have the opportunity to attend seminars by Albert Einstein in the future.
