Cisco begins holographic video calls

Cisco is now making hologram calls available to some customers before a wider rollout.

Selected Cisco clients have begun making holographic video calls in the US.

The days of making holographic video calls are with us. Cisco has demonstrated calls where a participant puts on an augmented reality headset and sees another person sitting in front of them.

The communications giant has showcased callers appearing as holograms in a video released yesterday and says the the technology is with us now.

Cisco says this isn’t futuristic tech, it is already being used by some Cisco clients in the US before it is made available more widely.

Cisco is applying the technology particularly to the work environment. As well as appearing as a hologram, a party can conduct demonstrations using holographic objects. The company sees this as a way of remotely teaching skills such as how to repair objects.

However there will be pent up demand for this system to be rolled out to general video conversations.

The trial was unveiled at yesterday’s Cisco Webex One event hosted from the US.

The system developed by Cisco places the transmitted image of a person into a local setting in a way that makes the experience look real when you don AR glasses.

Cisco’s priority is to use Webex Hologram in work situation where the platform operates, such as in business, education and healthcare.

The company describes Webex Hologram as “the next evolution of hybrid collaborative working”.

Cisco says the system is “headset agnostic” – call participants can use AR headsets such as Magic Leap and Microsoft HoloLens.

“Webex Hologram is the industry’s only real-time meeting solution that takes advantage of augmented reality headsets to combine feature rich Webex meeting functionality with immersive 3D holograms,” the company says in a statement.

“With 64 per cent of employees agreeing that the ability to work remotely directly affects whether they stay or leave a job, organisations will increasingly offer flexible work arrangements.

“Yet this poses a challenge for teams that require hands-on collaboration, such as design or training with a physical object. With Webex Hologram’s holographic capabilities, participants can now interact in ways previously possible only in-person.”

Security executive vice president Jeetu Patel says Webex Hologram represents a large step towards its mission of delivering a work experience with no gap between virtual and in-person collaboration.

McLaren Racing is among organisations intending to use holographic communications.

“Rather than flying a technician to the racing team or explaining procedures through flat images, with the Hologram technology we can immediately show an engine component from every angle, convey sizing, and instruct on assembly and usage as if they were in person – all while saving countless hours in travel time,” says Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing.