Immersive Communication

Holographic telepresence with digital assistance

Immersive digital communication, beyond the limits of conventional messengers and video chat – that was the goal of an experimental study focusing on holography, object scans, and voice and gesture control. The project was developed in collaboration with the Telekom Innovation Laboratories in Berlin.

In a fictional scenario, two friends meet to talk about everyday things such as the latest technology trends or last night’s national basketball league game – only their conversation does not take place in the real world as usual, but in a virtual room. On a holographic display, both conversation partners see the other as a three-dimensional presence, and can fade in additional objects or change the space around them with a simple hand movement or voice command. They can also call up the digital assistant “Tinka” at any time to clarify questions or request further information on products and services.

To create this image of the future, a lot of time was spent researching and experimenting with technology in the run-up to the study: From holography techniques based on clever mirror mechanisms, to depth cameras to capture those in conversation, to gesture recognition using Leap Motion controllers and Microsoft Kinect. The possibilities of intelligent voice input via Amazon Alexa or Google Home were also part of our investigations.

Combining all of these components into a single exhibit today provides a glimpse of what may be the standard of tomorrow: Immersive communication that can overcome existing boundaries through the use of innovation and technology.

In collaboration with the Cologne-based company Charamel, a life-size version of the digital assistant was exhibited at the Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona. Our focus was on the conception of the holographic setup.
https://www.charamel.com/case-studies/tinka-auf-der-mwc

Behind the Scenes