A major achievement in special effects when it first hit the silver screen, the holographic image of Princess Leia not only drew us into the world of Star Wars, it inspired millions of kids to imagine the endless possibilities that the technology of the future might hold. Some of those kids grew up to be engineers and designers and carried that inspiration over into the development of their own holograms. Now, just over three decades after the first film released, we are on the precipice of a new age of communications where we can actually communicate with others in three dimensions.
We may still be quite a ways away from being able to place a call across the galaxy, but thanks to the rise of VoIP, we have developed a communications infrastructure that allows for large amounts of data to be transmitted across the Internet. In recent years this has allowed for high definition video calls to be streamed, but this is just the beginning of what is possible over the Internet. Increased bandwidth, combined with true holographic displays, will soon allow us to stream three dimensional projections of our loved ones, friends and co-workers.
As fans of both science fiction and Internet based communication, we at WhichVoIP decided to explore this intersection of fantasy and reality a bit more in depth. We've profiled some of the most exciting hologram devices under development, exploring both their capabilities and the technology that powers their holographic displays, as well as how the iconic imagery of Star Wars inspired their development (two of the companies are named after Leia after all!). And, in the spirit of enhanced visual displays, we decided to present our findings as an infographic. Check out the full story below as we look at how holograms will forever change communication as we know it.
Where do you see this technology going? Let us know your ideas and thoughts using the comment form below.