#HTE

Teleportation is Now a Real Thing

The language and tone of science fiction permeates the existing world of technology, which is a declaration even further supported by recent news about how VR companies are actually hiring science fiction writers to help name and market their products. Hololens, a mixed reality headset company created by Microsoft, is obviously no exception to this rule (with a name like that, the team must consist of a large herd of Star Trek diehards). With this overflow of innovation, it can feel as if we’re getting hit on the head each and every day with drastic visions of the not-so-distant, 1984-esque future—sometimes so much you start to feel a little numb to it. 

Despite this truth, news like the invention of Hololens’ holoportation technology can still come as a bit of a shock. Marketed as a “virtual 3D teleportation device”, this technology allows people to chat in real-time under the illusion that they’re both standing in the same space: 

With the ability to record and playback conversations, Hololens researchers also eerily claim it’s “like walking into a living memory that I can see through another pair of eyes” (again bringing us back to the sci fi aspect of selling such a technology). 

Regardless of the hyperdrama of such a marketing strategy, the potential of this idea is exciting—to be able to be in two places at once: isn’t this a situation people have dreamed of since the beginning of science fiction?