The leading global provider of co-working space, WeWork, is investing in an innovative solution, ‘live meetings with holograms,’ to provide teams with the ability to collaborate in person.
The company has partnered with the Canadian firm ARHT Media Inc. to deploy hologram technology at up to 100 WeWork buildings. The first deployment phase has already implemented the initiative at sixteen locations worldwide in the third quarter of 2021.
There are many ways WeWork members could use holographic tech for their presentations or panel discussions. The speakers could talk in front of a green screen, and their re-created life-sized holograms could be projected to the attendees. WeWork locations have set up a ‘capture studio’ to help individuals participate in panel discussions and be broadcast as a hologram.
The WeWork locations are equipped with enormous AV equipment on a stage to display the holograms. The system, called a HoloPod, resembles a large TV with a partially see-through screen. It incorporates an HD projector, audio speakers, an audience-facing camera, and a microphone to enable holographic speakers to see, hear, and field questions.
ARHT had powered its first public holograph presentation in 2015, so the technology is nothing new. However, the workplace application is an interesting use case. The company’s other clients include the U.S. Department of Defense, Imperial College London, and Emory University. It has facilitated holograph presentations with speakers, such as the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Video and conferencing technology already enable people to conduct virtual live presentations remotely. Nevertheless, WeWork believes that holograms will lead to “more impactful interactions than traditional streaming and video conferencing.” The idea is not exceptionally different from other methods of making virtual meetings more compelling, including augmented reality or virtual reality headsets. However, its mass or individual adoption is still far away.
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