A new device will transmit a human hologram during a call

The PORTL Hologram startup has improved video calls byadding a system for transmitting a three-dimensional hologram of the interlocutor. The new device costs 60 thousand dollars per piece.

A device for video calls that looks like a hologram from “Star Wars” costs 60 thousand dollars

Startup plans to bring to the mass market a new type of video call that will project a three-dimensional image of the speaker, reminiscent of the hologram from Star Wars. PORTL Hologram received $ 3 million from investor Tim Draper, former Electronic Arts CEO Doug Barry and producer Joe Lewis.

The startup has acquired a patent for the same technology that was used to perform the hologram of Tupac Shakur at the 2012 Coachella Music Festival. However, the company says the technology will receive updates that will make the process more “exciting”

The device resembles a doorway, or, as the creators call it, a “studio in a box”, which with the help of a projector creates a three-dimensional image of a person in full growth – only a white background is needed. In addition to the believability of the hologram, its advantage is also in interactivity. Thanks to the studio setup and surround sound function, the interlocutor feels the “presence” of the person.

The company has already sold about a hundred devices to individuals, as well as several dozen – to shopping centers, airports and cinema lobbies.

PORTL Hologram is also working on a cheaper miniature version of the device that would be the size of a desktop computer and could be used to both record and transmit holograms to anyone with the same system.