Humour

Meet my hologram

Would you like to see your 3-D image slogging it out in office while you are relaxing at home? T A Balasubramanian recounts many such ‘out-of-body’ experiences

We return, once more, to the office of Dr Don Jong, who is back from a vacation. He is all set to untangle the lumps and knots that appear to blossom from nowhere to torment Bobo Jitter, the CIO of Bazooka Corporation. Called ‘The Oddfather’ because of the irreverent advice he generously offers, Dr Jong has a special gift for identifying and working upon the latest demons unleashed by technology on the unwary.

“Ah, Bobo. You are in apparent distress, as one can see from your restless pacing around. So what is it that has swarmed into your garden this time, Bobo?” says Dr Jong, waving his pipe with a flourish.

“I am distracted by all this talk of virtual reality taking over my life, Doc. I have several friends who have been inviting me to have virtual experiences—but so far, I have not responded.”

“Hmm, fear of virtual experiences? That seems a bit extreme for someone who deals with software for a living, don’t you think? After all, everything that you do on a computer screen is made up of ephemeral electrons—nothing you could touch.”

“It’s not that I fear dealing with the software, Doc. According to Duckbill & Goose research, more and more of our online activities will move to virtual immersive environments and our interactions will be conducted by projected 3D representatives—called ‘avatars’—with all the capabilities that we and others possess in the real world—and even some that we don’t have. It is all so artificial.”

“Ah, I completely understand your situation. These ‘avatars’ that you hear about would not be the real you, but a projection of you, and therefore you fear that they would diminish the personality of you, the real-world Bobo?”

“Exactly, Doc. They would be a fantasy. Duckbill & Goose reports that adults already spend an average of 12 hours a day divorced from reality, immersing themselves in virtual environments such as computer software programs, simulations and 3D television. It goes on to predict that as the role of ‘avatars’ becomes pervasive, you could begin to disengage from them—maybe even let loose multiple versions that would go about doing tasks that you would otherwise have to get done with your own physical presence.”

“Which is disturbing to you because your avatars might be doing things on your behalf that you may not be even aware of?”

“Precisely. I was thinking about all this and it scared me, I can tell you. Imagine the scene. My work-life avatar would be plunked in front of a computer looking at a computer screen and, at the same time, my online leisure time avatar would probably be representing me by sitting around chatting in book store cafes with strangers.”

“While the real you would be here in my office telling me all about it?”

“Yes, that’s outrageous, Doc.”

“Outrageous? Do you recall a 3D image of Princess Leia, effortlessly projected by the droid R2-D2 in a well-known scene from the first Star Wars movie? ‘Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi—you are my only hope,’ she pleads—except that it is not the real Leia, who is on a different planet. Well, you might soon find my hologram talking to you here on days when I do not feel particularly inclined to travel to work, you know.”

“Your hologram?” says Bobo, staring open-mouthed.

“Yes. I was watching a program on TV about the newest 3D video displays—or holograms. A half-meter-long protein floats in midair, several feet in front of a monitor. It looks like a large curled ribbon. As three biologists walk around the molecule, it begins to fold, slowly twisting and interlocking into a tangled knot. One of them uses a stylus to prod the protein at several points. As she does so, the protein refolds itself, revealing a location that could be used to add a drug to change the protein’s function. Now imagine that kind of interaction with people—instead of molecules—floating in midair. You or me.”

“Wow, Doc. I would be meeting your protein avatar?”

“Ha, ha. Now why would that scare you? Holograms used to be considered science fiction, but now they are thought of as expensive scientific or marketing tools. In a few years, they will reach the popular consumer market, particularly for the gaming world. Maybe you should start playing a few immersive games, Bobo. That’s what I do with my teenage son.”

“I don’t find games all that exciting, Doc.”

“Virtual reality gurus such as my friend Swami Datananda suggest that holograms could actually give you—how do you call them?—out-of-body experiences.”

“What? I thought those were experienced by monks and some people undergoing treatment for trauma.”

“In one test of a new virtual reality game, players wore goggles containing a video screen for each eye. Each screen was fed images from a separate camera behind the participant and, because the two images were fused into one, they saw a 3D image of their own backs. The participants reported feeling that they were watching a body that belonged to someone else.”

“You know, Doc, that’s the way I feel sometimes when I have been sitting at a computer all day. It’s like observing somebody else’s hand moving my mouse.”

“Voila! You comprehend. The experience of playing video games could reach a whole new level, but it could go much beyond that. You could even send your hologram to attend meetings, by porting your avatar from a different location. Like Princess Leia.”