Imaginary Pictures, a visual effects company, has launched a new service to ‘beam’ people and products anywhere in the world. Developed by Los Angeles technology company Proto, ‘holoportation’ is said to allow high-quality 3D models to be transmitted in real time.
Based in London and Manchester, with capability across the UK and Ireland, Imaginary Pictures provides a complete end-to-end service from capture to broadcast. The holograms can be displayed as a full-sized box similar to a telephone box, known as the Proto Epic, or a smaller desktop box, the Proto M. As well as use for live interactive communications, the Proto devices can show pre-recorded presentations and can display realistic 3D images of products.
Imaginary Pictures has already used the technology to create live broadcasts. These included a live demonstration of global connectivity using 5G in association with Virgin Media O2, and an art and jewellery auction to Saudi Arabia beamed from London with live holograms of two artists at work.
“Video conferencing and 3D imaging have been around a while now but beamed holograms of people was something we only imagined; something we’d only seen in science fiction films,“ said Kevin Zemrowsky, technical director, Imaginary Pictures. “Well, now it is here and working Proto we’ve developed a complete production solution make holoportation accessible to everyone.”
Improving digital communication bandwidths, such as high speed broadband and 5G networks, have been the “game-changer” for the technology, and Imaginary Pictures believes that the potential market as huge.
“We’ve all got used to making video calls but the interaction isn’t that life-like,” added Zemrowsky. “Proto’s technology bridges between the physical and the virtual; with an all-body 3D image, Holoportation makes it feel that the person is really there and it opens up a whole new world where people can be beamed into live events.”
