NASA has revealed that in October 2021 it “holoported” medical professionals from earth into
space to carry out consultations with astronauts in the first transmission of its kind.
The US space agency used Microsoft’s Hololens Kinect camara and a PC with custom software from Aexa
Aerospace to “holoport”. NASA flight surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid, Aexa CEO Fernando De La Pena Llaca, and their teams to the International Space Station. This is the first time that real-time, two-way communication with three dimensional representations of people has been carried out in space.
This is a completely new manner of human communication across vast distances," Schmid said in the statement. "Furthermore, it is a brand-new way of human exploration, where our human entity is able to travel off the planet. Our physical body is not there, but our human entity absolutely is there."
How did it work?
The "holoportation" technology uses specialized image capture technology that reconstructs, compresses and transmits live 3D models of people. This technology couples with the HoloLens, a self-described "mixed reality headset" that combines sensors, optics and holographic processing tech to allow the wearer to see the hologram images or even enter a "virtual world."
With the two systems combined, users in orbit can not only see hologram participants but can also hear and interact with them. The technology is not new but has never been used in an environment this challenging with users so far apart.
According to NASA, this "new form of communication" is a precursor for more extensive hologram use on future space missions. The agency also plans to try two-way hologram communication, in which they will send a hologram of the astronauts in space to Earth in addition to sending a hologram of Earth-bound users to space.
With two-way hologram communication tested from Earth to space (and vice versa), NASA aims to use this technology for off-Earth tele-mentoring. The possible future applications of hologram technology in space are far-reaching, according to NASA. The tech could support everything from advanced medical treatment, mission support or even to connect astronauts with their families back on Earth. The tech could also prove especially useful for future crewed deep-space travel to destinations like Mars, where we know astronauts will face significant communication challenges and delays.
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