HoloLens-powered Holoportation is the next best thing to being there

Microsoft’s HoloLens headset is probably still a ways out from reaching everyday consumers, but every new demo that the company unveils makes it look more and more magical. And this one really takes the cake.

Holoportation is the latest advancement in HoloLens-related tech, and it effectively lets you teleport your image into 3D space for a HoloLens wearer to view. The capture rig turns your image into a 3D model that is then displayed in the view of the wearer, and if both users are wearing HoloLens, you’ll be able to have some startlingly natural interactions.

The demo video (below) is pretty astounding. While there are rough edges to round out with this surely early tech, the ability to transpose a lifelike 3D image of someone into your living space is pretty mind-blowing. And honestly, we’re not sure how the researcher, Shahram Izadai, got through that demo with his daughter without getting a little choked up.

And the ability to store and replay recordings in the future, with a scaling feature to shrink down the conversation to fit on your countertop, looks straight out of a certain sci-fi film.

All that said, this is hardly ready for anyone’s flat: the capture setup requires multiple mounted cameras to create the 3D model, which is surely expensive, and you’d need two such rooms (and HoloLens headsets) to get the full experience. It could be amazing, but it’s hardly practical right now.

Still, Microsoft’s task is not only to prove the current-day usage of augmented reality, but also to show what’s possible down the line. And Holoportation is surely one of the most exciting concepts to date.

Source: Microsoft Research