It sounds a little bit like something out of Star Trek or numerous other science fiction movies, but the two new figures that you will be able to see at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 1 are quite possibly the first really useful use of holographic technology here on British soil.
Using films of actual staff John Walsh and Julie Capper these two holograms can be seen standing by the security areas of the airport with the aim of assisting passengers with the increasingly complicated rules of what they can and cannot take on board the plane in an attempt to ease the workload of their real-life equivalents.
The technology has actually been around for quite some time, and if you have ever seen the ‘virtual’ band Gorillaz in concert you will have seen it in action already, but this is the first time that it has been openly used in such a public capacity and it could well be the start of something new and incredibly cool – surely being served at shops by holographic people isn’t completely beyond the realm of possibility!
Mr Walsh who is one of the two employees that have been given a ‘virtual makeover’ said that the restrictions “remain an area of confusion and it’s something we still have to spend a lot of time reminding our passengers” and the hope is that the virtual copies of these two employees will explain the procedures in a way that people will easily understand – it is certainly a lot more interactive than just signs, and thus potentially a lot more effective!
Advances like this and the likes of the Sony holographic 3D display really makes you wonder how far we are away from the likes of a “holodeck”.
Are you excited to see this kind of futuristic-style technology appearing in everyday life? What other applications would you like to see this used? Or do you find it a little strange or even freaky to watch? Let us know in the comments below!
Via – BBC
