For a long time, hologram technology was something we associated with science fiction movies and video games. Who can forget the first time they saw 1977? Star Wars: A New Hope and its iconic opening scene where Princess Leia asks Obi-Wan Kenobi for help.
Holographic technology is a virtual 3D representation that uses beams of light, from people living or from the past that you can see or interact with to manipulate images, maps, and graphs.
Since then, we’ve seen it used in other ways, such as resurrecting dead artists like Tupac and playing it performing at Coachella, New York fashion shows. It has also been used by surgeons who work with X-rays or CT scans in real time while performing an operation.
Journalists recently experienced hologram technology firsthand, outside of the world of science fiction, at Cisco’s laboratories in Norway.
Webex Hologram is Cisco’s next-generation hybrid work collaboration tool that claims to be the industry’s only real-time meeting solution that leverages augmented reality headsets to combine feature-rich Webex meeting functionality with 3D holograms. immersive. It provides a one-to-many presenter experience so that participants can dial in remotely.
It is software that uses immersive technologies, allows you to share physical and digital content, offers a multi-dimensional experience, and most importantly, is independent of headphones. It is compatible with AR headsets such as Microsoft HoloLens and Magic Leap.
I experienced Webex Hologram with Microsoft HoloLens 2 at Cisco Labs very briefly. The quick demo involved interacting with the cartoon characters Tom and Jerry.
As with all new technology, it took a while to set up. It involved using my fingers to access menu items virtually in front of me. He could tap, pinch to zoom, grab, and drag with his index finger and thumb.
It felt natural to interact with what was in front of me, based on my previous experiences with VR. You should look around you for objects or menus that may be to the right, left, above, or below, and not just in front of you.
Snorre Kjesbu, senior vice president and general manager of Webex Devices, says making holograms useful in an enterprise setting isn’t about creating a Jedi Council, jokingly adding that we don’t need to see it in three dimensions.
“As soon as we start talking about objects, this becomes very interesting. Imagine if you can’t travel or don’t want to travel but want to reduce the time between a production facility and a design facility. What if you could walk into this place?
Kjesbu says that Webex Hologram combines 2D and 3D, and when he has a conference, he just puts on his glasses and everyone can discuss an object. “As soon as you do that, you create something super useful.”
The company says that Webex Hologram represents its step toward delivering a work experience so seamless that there is no gap between virtual and in-person collaboration.
Earlier this year, the McLaren Formula 1 racing team announced an expanded partnership with Webex by Cisco, which is now an Official Technology Partner of the F1 team starting in 2022.
Cisco will provide McLaren with access to solutions such as enterprise networking, Wi-Fi, digital signage and collaboration, but will also test new and emerging technology to aid reliable connectivity on race days and at its headquarters.
“Imagine they are racing, but the engineers in the shop are designing a new part; you can hold that part and look at it from all angles, and you can combine that physical part with a 3D representation of the same type of object, then it starts to get interesting,” Kjesbu said.
Known for embedding innovation as part of its business, McLaren will use Cisco AR holographic solutions to accelerate its design and decision-making process through real-time feedback and collaboration between designers and engineers at its headquarters and pit crews. in the place.
Kjesbu said the company saw an opportunity to make 3D holograms useful today. It can be used for companies that make sneakers, bags or engineering objects.
Kjesbu added that digital collaboration is key to hybrid working conditions. “One of our key tools is digital collaboration – having the ability to whiteboard and ideas even when people are remote. That was a luxury resource, now it is a requirement”.
Hybrid work is different and more difficult than before, because there have been a few shifts in the office, he said. “It was a place where we came to work. Now people come to the office when you are going to meet and collaborate.”
“During Covid, we were able to execute, and companies were able to execute incredibly well, but there were downturns and one of them was related to innovation. How do you achieve innovation if you schedule that you are going to innovate on Fridays between 10 and 11?”
Hybrid work must be reinvented, says Kjesbu. “You have to be able to collaborate anywhere, you have to be interoperable, you have to be able to join across any meeting platform, and the software has to promote fairness and inclusion, so everyone is on the same level.”
The Cisco Webex app works on Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android, including the ability to access its background noise removal feature. A new partnership with Microsoft announced in October allows MS Teams to run natively on the Cisco desktop and room.
