Hologram Machine Offers Alternative to Video Calls

Though the price tag will probably force you to just tolerate "Zoom fatigue."

Applications like Zoom, Webex and Microsoft Teams have seen their usage spike as workers attempt to maintain contact during the pandemic.

But some cite exhaustion with these platforms, leading experts to coin the term “Zoom fatigue” — a theory that video interactions are taxing on the brain.

There may be another option on the horizon, as Reuters is reporting on a new device that can beam a life-sized hologram of your colleagues to your location.

Produced by a company called PORTL Inc., the phone booth-sized room can be plugged into a standard wall outlet.

Then, anyone with a white background and a camera can send an image to the machine, a process the company calls “holoportation.”

While the technology may be interesting, the practical applications for businesspeople are limited at this time.

The PORTL device starts at $60,000 and it can reach $85,000 with added options like archiving and artificial intelligence features.

PORTL says they expect the cost to come down over the next few years. They are also working on a smaller, tabletop device.

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