NASA flight surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid “holoported” to the ISS in October 2021 to visit the astronauts on board. (Image credit: Astronaut Thomas Peske from ESA (European Space Agency)
This is not science fiction: doctors with holograms radiated into space to visit astronauts.
In 2021, a team of holographic doctors was “holoported” into space to visit astronauts living aboard the International Space Station, NASA revealed in a new publication. The hologram teams led by NASA surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid and Fernando De La Pena Laca, CEO of software vendor Aexa Aerospace, were the first people to ever be “holoported” from Earth to space.
“This is a completely new way of human communication over great distances,” Schmid said in a statement. “Besides, it’s a whole new way of human exploration in which our human being is able to travel beyond the planet. Our physical body is not there, but our human being is absolutely there.”
(In the image above, Schmidt can greet astronauts in space with a well-known cosmic salute, the volcanic salute from Star Trek.)
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Medical specialists with an ISS hologram on October 8, 2021. Left Andrew Madrid, Dr. Fernando de La Pena Laca, Rlhab Sadik, Dr. Joe Schmid, Kevin Bryant, Mackenzie Hoffman and Wes Tarkington. (Image credit: Astronaut Thomas Peske from ESA (European Space Agency)
“It doesn’t matter that the space station travels at 17,500 miles per hour [28,000 kilometers per hour] and in constant motion in orbit 250 miles [400 km] “Above the Earth, the astronaut could return three minutes or three weeks later, and when the system works, we will be there in this place, live on the space station,” Schmid added.
Medical teams holoported to the station on October 8. Using a Microsoft Hololens Kinect camera and a personal computer with personalized Aexa software, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who was on board the station at the time, had a holo-conversation with Schmidt and De La Pena’s teams. The doctors’ holograms were visible live in the middle of the space station.
So how does it work?
The holoportation technology that enabled this event works with specialized imaging technology that reconstructs, compresses and transmits live 3D models to humans. This technology is combined with HoloLens, a self-described “mixed reality headset” that combines sensors, optics and holographic processing technology to allow the user to see holographic images or even enter a “virtual world”.
By combining the two systems, users in orbit can not only see the participants in the hologram, but also hear and interact with them. The technology is not new, but it has never been used in an environment that is so challenging with users who are so far apart.
According to NASA, this “new form of communication” is a precursor to the wider use of the hologram in future space missions. The agency then plans to try two-way holographic communication, which will send holograms of astronauts into space to Earth in addition to sending holograms to Earth users in space.
“We will use this for our private medical conferences, private psychiatric conferences, private family conferences and to bring VIPs to the space station to visit with astronauts,” NASA officials wrote.
With two-way holographic communication tested from Earth to space (and vice versa), NASA aims to use this technology for remote mentoring outside of Earth.
“Imagine being able to bring the best instructor or actual designer of particularly sophisticated technology right to you, wherever you work on it,” Schmid said.
“We will also combine augmented reality with haptics,” Schmid said. Haptics refer to technology that can simulate touch through things like vibrations or motors. “You can work on the device together, like two of the best surgeons working during surgery. That would put everyone at ease knowing that the best team works together on critical hardware.”
According to NASA, possible future applications of holographic technology in space are wide-ranging. Technology can support everything from modern medical treatment, mission support, or even connecting astronauts to their families back to Earth. The technology could also be particularly useful for future crews in deep space to destinations such as Mars, where we know astronauts will face significant communication challenges and delays.
Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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