3D Archives - VRSUN

AI-powered “conversational” holographic characters are on the way from Looking Glass.

Hologram technology company Looking Glass today unveiled the latest addition to its 3D holographic platform: Looking Glass Liteforms. Powered by the company’s headset-free 3D holographic display technology, these “conversational” holographic characters are capable of chatting naturally with users, similar to popular text-based chatbots (minus the text).

Credit: Looking Glass

According to the company, the Liteform platform will feature a number of characters to choose from, including Andi the Robot, Little Inu, and Uncle Rabbit. Each character is brought to life using the popular AI chatbot, ChaptGPT, promising more natural conversations with the user.

“Looking Glass is well-known for developing the most realistic holographic solutions that breathe life into 3D digital content, all without the need for headsets,” said Shawn Frayne, co-founder and CEO of Looking Glass, in an official release.

“But over the past few years, we’ve been prototyping new ways to not only create and view holograms but to communicate with them,” he added. “With all the major leaps made with large language models like ChatGPT, now you can! We couldn’t be more excited to see how brands around the world use Liteforms to connect their fans to the magic of talking, ‘living’ holograms.”

Looking Glass states that its Liteform technology serves multiple use cases, from retail and out-of-advertising to location-based entertainment and individual use. Personally, I could see this sort of technology taking off with brick-and-mortar stores looking to inject a bit of fun into their customer’s shopping experience.

The platform will be available through a standard subscription model, which will include enterprise tiers for those interested in creating their own original Liteform characters. There’s also a basic subscription that will unlock access to the pre-designed characters mentioned above.

More information regarding the pricing model will be revealed later this summer, according to the company. Those interested can sign up for the beta program over at lookingglassfactory.com/liteforms. You can also go hands-on with the device at AWE 2023 in Santa Clara, CA on June 1-2 (Booth 1139).

Last year, we had the chance to go hands-on with Looking Glass Portrait, a desktop version of the company’s holographic display that’s designed for artists, designers, developers, filmmakers, photographers, and various other creative professionals.

The device plugs easily into a standard PC, allowing you to upload roughly 1,000 holographic photos and videos. You can even use it as a secondary 3D monitor.

You can check out our full coverage of Looking Glass Portrait here.

Feature Image Credit: Looking Glass Factory

Google’s Project Starline is back and looking better than ever.

It was back in 2021 that we first learned about Project Starline, an ambitious technology project from Google aimed at improving remote teleconferencing through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and light field display technology. Instead of a standard 2D image, Project Starline offers a “lifelike” 3D image of the person you’re conversing with, allowing for more natural and engaging interactions, regardless of your physical location.

Today, Google unveiled a new-and-improved version of its Project Starline system. Whereas the original took up roughly the same size as a restaurant booth and required a complex system of cameras and infrared light emitters, this latest prototype has been scaled down to the size of a standard flatscreen monitor.

Credit: Google

AI-powered 3D visuals

According to Google, this sleek new form factor was achievable through the use of new AI techniques. The prototype device is still capable of generating a live 3D model of the subject, but instead of the aforementioned hardware, only a handful of standard cameras are needed in order for the system to function.

“With Project Starline, we’re getting closer to a world where distance is no longer a barrier to connection. Our newest prototype is our latest step toward this goal — allowing us to help more people feel connected, no matter where they are,” said Andrew Nartke, GM of Project Starline, in an official blog post.

Credit: Google

Testing the virtual waters

Google has already begun testing its system with a handful of select companies as part of its early access program. This includes everyone from the popular cloud-based software company Salesforce to US mobile provider T-Mobile and office-space leasing company WeWork. According to Google, they’re already seeing “promising” results.

“Trust and innovation are at the heart of Salesforce’s values,” said Andy White, SVP of Business Technology at Salesforce. “Project Starline has the potential to help create authentic and immersive connections that foster deeper relationships with both our employees and customers, enhance trust and transparency, and drive productivity and efficiency.”

No word yet on when (or if) this prototype will become available as a consumer product. However, with recent data suggesting that remote work is likely here to stay, we could definitely see this technology taking off in multiple sectors, especially in its current slimmed-down form factor.

For more information on Google’s Project Starline check out the full blog post here.

Feature Image Credit: Google

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AI-powered 3D visuals

Testing the virtual waters