Tired of Zoom calls? A Los Angeles company is ready to take conference calls to the next level. PORTL Inc. has created a new way to communicate. The company is introducing a machine the size of a phone booth that can beam a live hologram into any room. Star Trek’s fictional Holodeck beamed holograms onboard the spaceship. Now, similar––but real—technology is available for private homes.
A hologram is a true, three-dimensional image. The image is a photographic recording of a light field. It’s made by bouncing a laser light off an object. The light wave takes on the shape of the object that it hits. The shape is projected onto a piece of film.
Holographic film grabs the image with incredible detail. Compared to photographic film, this type of film captures an image’s minute details––thousands of times smaller than those in a photograph. Two-dimensional photographs show height and width. But holograms show height, width, and depth. They’re not the only type of three-dimensional picture, but they’re definitely the best so far.
The device made by PORTL Inc. lets users talk in real time with a life-sized hologram of another person. The machine makes it possible for people to interact with the recorded holograms too.
The device uses artificial intelligence to produce hologram recordings that can be saved. The Los Angeles company StoryFile equips the machines with this feature. Heather Smith is the Chief Executive of StoryFile. She explains what it is like to have a conversation with a recorded hologram. “(You) feel their [sic] presence, see their body language, see all their non-verbal cues. You feel like you’ve actually talked to that individual even though they were not there.”
“We say if you can’t be there, you can beam there,” says PORTL Inc.’s Chief Executive David Nussbaum. “We are able to connect military families that haven’t seen each other in months, people from opposite coasts, or anyone who is social distancing to fight the coronavirus.”
The holograph machine is seven feet tall, five feet wide, and two feet deep. It plugs into a standard electrical outlet. That sounds manageable, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Costs start at $60,000 for the machine. Too pricey, or too big for your living room? The company plans to release a smaller, more affordable tabletop device early next year.
1st comment!!!
Wow! That is really interesting! That would be kind of creepy though xD But sooo expensive! I'll probably never get one ;P That would be fun though.
Janna (Daniel's sister)
Coming soon near you, the mini PORTL Inc. for ONLY $20,000!
what!!!!!
this is soooo cool guys!!!! Its just like in star wars!!!!(#hugestarwarsfan) (ok i also am a hobbit and lord of the rings fan... and marvel.......)
this is Mylee
Addision it is like star wars and is so cool !! I saw this on world watch some time back . Did any of ya'll watch the new Mandolorian episode? We did Friday night LoL.
Yes!!!!! I saw it!!!! loved
Yes!!!!! I saw it!!!! loved it!!!! So cool!!
WOW!
This is pretty cool! Never thought it was possible!
AL, i also am a hobbit and Lord of the Rings fan! Did you read the books?
hu?
is this a 3D legit hologram or is it a 2D flat screen like a tv?
I read the books, loved them.
I read the books, loved them. Also I think its a 3d thing
Wow!
Maybe someday someone will invent holograms that come out of your phones... EPIC!
@Above
Strange, and super expensive!!
@Asher: I think you stand by a 2D screen, but you look 3D in the box, or something like that. I don't completely understand it myself!!
@Asher
My friend has one and it is a legit hologram
You can actually step inside of the box end it is almost like interacting with the person that you are talking to
Hey...
I saw this on World Watch
I like...
To code and play on Scratch. mit. edu it is a fun website and if you ever go on there look for me "Redskin-fan"
this is Mylee
I have scratch and will look for you lol!
Oh no what if people in
Oh no what if people in public are frauds?! Lol
Wow, this is pretty cool.
I've always written about holograms in my science fiction stories, but if they become a reality, then...WOW!
right!?!
right!?!
I want one!
But I don't know why it needs to be 3D, I guess it's cooler!
OK
This is SO Umpractical, but has a TON of potental if they can get it cheaper. As well as a tabletop device.
This is Serena
Wow!!! This is amazing! This is a great way to connect family who live far away but who has the money for that?
It looks as big as a refrigerator. And do you need that whole set of the mic, camera, and white background to make a recording or can you just do it in the living room?
SUPER COOL!
That's so cool! I remember seeing one at Mall Of America (MOA).
rwstevens
Boy that thing sounds awfully cool. I wish I had one!
This is London
Cooool but I probably would never buy that to expensive especially when there is face time XD I like starwars to and every Friday I have been watching the new episodes.
Of mandalorian
Of mandalorian
Interesting but Expensive
This sounds really cool, but $60,000? I'd rather just call or Zoom with someone. If I could use it for free, though...
I wonder....
I wonder if it would be harder to talk to someone if there not they’re, or if it would be the same as talking to them in real life?
subjects are hard can i just get to the comment?
This is pretty nuts. They mention the price tag, but I think it's like microwaves. They were like huge and super expensive when they first came out, but they shrunk and got less expensive over r&d, so now almost everyone has one. Another thing is like how much power does that thing use to produce that high a resolution image/video and project it they way it does. I wonder how flexible it can be once they can project them without using a box/chamber.
@London and Mylee
I love the Mandalorian! Yes I watched the last episode and I can't believe "baby Yoda" has a name now!
Ik but I don’t rly care for
Ik but I don’t rly care for its new name I wish it was something else
@ London S
Yeah...I'm getting used to it though.
Did someone say Star Wars?! I’m sure u all know that I love it..
I have watched all the StarWars episodes through once and I loved it! But my dad hasn’t really seen them properly saying he didn’t really get into it when he ‘watched it’. And so I’m on a mission with my mum to get him to like it by making him watch it with us from the very beginning (episode 1) :-P. I haven’t watched Mandolorian yet though.
@ Asher I think it’s 3D in a 3D box? at least that’s what it said on the last picture. I think anyway...
Well, I'm not a particular
Well, I'm not a particular fan of Star Wars myself, but I have started playing the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition. Anyone here play that? (It's pretty old... like, 2009... lol)
Yeah, I'm sorry, but the Siths are the best.
this is Mylee
I wish were the circle is to the right we could put profile photos. For my math there is a class chat were we normally talk about problems we need help with but sometimes talk for fun. Any way my profile photo is Herra Syndulla from Star Wars so lol !
Hey, everyone...
Have you all heard of the Japanese song, "The World is mine"? It was an anime girl singing and everyone was bowing like they were worshiping her! It was disturbing,
and I have not been there personaly, just saw a video. But it was disturbing, all the same. And I have seen all of the Mandolorian so far, crying to see season 3.
@ above your profile is Hera? Cool, I recently finished Rebels season 2, jtlyk. I liked season 1 because it was really funny, Officer Meiloorun?????????
Why not just come out and
Why not just come out and call it Aperture Inc.?
Wow!
I had no idea that this was a real thing!!!