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RB | December 17, 2022

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Will a Hologram Be Your Boss in the Future?

Is your next boss going to be a hologram? Bloomberg seems to think so. They ran an article recently about a CEO using holograms. The article explains how CEO’s are using life-size holograms to cut-down on travel. One CEO described the experience, “It was a real ‘beam me up’ moment … I was really there.”

Holograms are not new. Holography was discovered by physicist Dennis Gabor in 1951. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for for his discovery in 1971. In simple terms, a hologram is basically a recording of a 3D image that can be reproduced with the same amount of depth and detail as the original. Viewers can see the image from different angles, the same way they’d be able to see a real object.

What is a hologram

Holograms don’t require special equipment, like glasses or headsets to view. The image can be viewed from any angle, so as the user walks around the display the object will appear to move and shift realistically. Holographic images can be static, such as a picture of a product, or they may be animated sequences which can be watched by multiple people from any viewpoint.

Google and Microsoft Corp., as well as startups like HyerVSN, MDH Hologram, Musion, and VIVIDIQ are working on holographic communications services. Businesses diverse as Ford, Johnnie Walker, the NBA, Salesforce, French bank BNP Paribas and the World Wildlife Foundation are using holograms. Emergen Research predicts that the global 3D Holographic Display and Services market size will reach $3.45 billion in 2028. Larry O’Reilly, CEO of Toronto-based ARHT Media Inc., told Bloomberg:

People can’t look away … We create the illusion of 3D in a life-size person or object with no noticeable latency, which creates a sense of presence.

Result of the COVID-19 pandemic

The article says the COVID-19 pandemic caused firms to rethink the rules of work. Apparently, corporations see holograms as a way to communicate with employees and customers while cutting down on travel. Before COVID, holograms were used for concerts with mixed results. Portl founder, David Nussbaum told Bloomberg,

Holograms were never in demand for anything but entertainment until recently … Instead of digitally resurrecting dead artists, I saw holograms as a new way of communication …

Hologram tech

The system featured in the article was provided by LA-based Proto (formerly Portl Inc.). The rig, called Epic, is a human-sized “portal” that produces a lifelike person in hologram. Epic lets people “beam” themselves to a location thousands of miles away and interact with people there. The author says the entire set-up cost $160,000. Portl also sells individual boxes for $65,000.

Portl also offers a 14-inch-tall home device, called Proto M which costs $5,000. The tabletop version projects a shrunken version of the subject. The company plans to release an app that will allow users to substitute a cellphone for the studio gear. Portl says it expects to sell 500 booths and 5,000 tabletop units this year.

Sherrif Karamat, CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association, has appeared as a hologram onstage with a live moderator and several others. He told the author, the conversation flowed easily, and he even elbow-bumped a fellow speaker at one point. “Holograms are here to stay, and they’ll be used more and more …”

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As with all emerging techs, there are two sides to the coin. The green factor of eliminating travel is good. Portl’s Nussbaum said “Without having to jump in cars and airplanes, a lot of our customers have seen their carbon footprint shrink considerably, sometimes down to around 10% of what it used to be.”

Are holograms ready for prime-time

Holograms are not ready for prime-time for a number of reasons.

Vendors must bring down prices sharply before it will be widely adopted. $160,000 for one systems?
The IEEE estimates that the bandwidth requirements for holograms will increase to be in the range of 1 Tbps. The best average 5G download speed in the U.S. is 150 Mbps. Not enough.
The current systems don’t offer true holograms. Rather, they provide rather two-dimensional holographic projections. Strictly speaking, holograms are meant to be 3D images projected into thin air by lasers, so you can walk around and view them from all angles. Current systems, by contrast, require the box, which creates the illusion of depth, but when viewed from the side or behind it’s … just a box.

Then there is the bad boss factor. IMO being fired by a hologram is no better than when Better.com CEO Vishal Garg terminated 900 employees on a Zoom call just before the holidays. Or the recent chaos at Twitter as Elon Musk fired about 3,700 people via email.

How you can help Ukraine!

Related article

Yes, Hologram Porn Is Officially a Thing (Glamour)

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Social Networking | Tags: 2022, 5G, Boss, COVID-19, Metaverse, Security, terabits per second, Virtual reality, Work

RB | March 17, 2018

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Take a Plant to Work

Many of us spend more time at work than anywhere else. And most of our homes away from home are office cubicles. Cube farms, the 50-year-old static symbol of resistance to change, are good for the business and won’t go away anytime soon. So you should have a plant in your cube.

Take a Plant to Work Despite being good for business, the cube farm is making us sick, according to Danica-Lea Larcombe with Edith Cowan University. She wrote in The Conversation that office cubes can cause real health issues. She argues that office buildings are worse for our health than our homes. Office cubicles usually consist of partitions made of particle board and vinyl carpet, synthetic flooring, a particle board desk, and plastic or synthetic office chairs, lit mainly by artificial lighting with poor ventilation. All of these factors combine to make us cranky and sick.

Chemical compounds

The author writes that formaldehyde is one of the many chemical compounds given off by synthetic office furnishings. It can irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat and cause allergic contact dermatitis. Irritation of the eyes and upper respiratory tract, as well as headaches, are the most commonly reported symptoms of exposure to formaldehyde toxins.

Dangerous chemicals

Other harmful chemicals in the office mentioned in the article include benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, and even ammonia from cleaning products. High carbon dioxide levels breathed out by a roomful of colleagues can give the room that “stuffy” feeling, mainly if there is no air conditioning.

The author says one excellent way to combat sick days and stress is to fill your office with plants. She recommends plants that will “scrub” the air of pathogens, improve the office’s mix of bacteria, and survive in low light with little care.

Indoor plants purify the air, reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde. A NASA clean air study tested common indoor plants’ ability to filter pollutants and found that many effectively remove organic compounds from the air. The article says, one medium-sized plant per 24 square feet of office space should be used for best results.

Plant bacterias

Dr. Larcombe says you should also improve the balance of indoor bacteria to survive in the office environment. There are already trillions of bacteria in offices, but only a limited amount come in through open windows and air conditioning from the outdoor environment. Most bacteria, fungi, and viruses come from people; we leave behind a microbial cloud on our skin wherever we go. The office environment creates new habitats for microbial communities that are foreign to human skin and not good for your health.

Beneficial bacteria on indoor plants and their soil are essential to the office, stabilizing its synthetic environment. Plant-associated bacteria could also help avoid disease outbreaks by enhancing microbial biodiversity and balancing the complex network of the ecosystem. A wholesome balance may reduce the incidence of viral illness and the number of sick days among staff. It’s not just the size of the plant that’s important here. Larger pots mean more root mass and soil surface for helpful bacteria and root microbes.

reduce stress

Plants promote public health

The article also claims plants can help beat stress. Over the past 30 years, research has shown that green spaces promote public health and that contact with nature can shift highly stressed people to a more positive emotional state. Research has found that when present, plants reduce mental stresses:

Tension/Anxiety – 37% reduction
Depression/Dejection – 58% reduction
Anger/Hostility – 44% reduction
Fatigue – 38% reduction

There are a few basic principles for a good office plant. It must be hardy, easy to maintain, and able to survive without water over weekends (or when the regular plant carer goes on holiday). Plants adapted to low light will do the most good in cubicles and spaces away from windows. Look for species with large leaves (the more leaf surface area, the more efficient it is). Avoiding plants that flower extravagantly is also a good idea, but it may cause allergic reactions. Check with your colleagues before introducing new plants.

Some of the best plants the article recommends for the office are:

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Offices, particularly those with many people, poor ventilation, or low natural light, should consider plants necessary. Plants will improve the atmosphere, mood, and health of the workplace.

Related article

Research shows if you improve the air quality at work, you improve productivity (Phys.org)

Category: Health care | Tags: 2018, Business, Cubicle, Health, Plants, Stress, Work, Workplace, Workplace wellness

RB | August 6, 2013

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Coffee in the Workplace

Coffee in the Workplace Some will say a good night’s sleep or a hot breakfast is essential to start your day. However, Most people start their workday with a cup of coffee in the morning. This infographic ‘The Bond Between Work and Coffee’ by Zoho takes a look at the bond between work and coffee. Did you know that workers who have consumed a cup of joe do better at work, especially when they take coffee breaks at the same time.