In sci-fi movies and TV, holograms have long embodied a bevy of characters, including Princess Leia and The Doctor on “Star Trek: Voyager.”
A big part of the appeal of these 3D representations is that they occupy the same space we do and that we can interact with them in a way we can’t with 2D videos and photos.
Beyond the fictional world, holograms are starting to help humans in real life. They’re translators, teachers and preservers of memories.
“Our children are the first generation to start to expect spatial – or 3D, volumetric – content,” says Jason Waskey, a principal creative director for Microsoft and creative director for the company’s Mixed Reality Capture Studio in San Francisco, where the company creates holograms for various uses.