The popular 1960s TV show “The Jetsons” ushered in the rise of AI chatbots, video calls, robot vacuums, and now holograms.
American startup Proto is making waves as the first platform to enable communication via holograms. The company’s product is a physical box that displays pre-recorded videos, live feeds, and 3D images from phones and cameras. It can also be used for video calls and interviews. Shadows and reflection effects make the image appear 3D.
Comedian Howie Mandel speaks with a reporter while riding a Proto device. Photo credit: Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
According to a report from CNN Business on Friday, Proto has two real-size hologram boxes available with prices ranging from $29,000 to $65,000. One is Proto Epic, which is used by over 100 companies, and the other is the company’s newly introduced Proto Luma.
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The least expensive option is the $5,900 Proto M, a tabletop version that stands less than 3 feet tall.
Holograms are no longer just science fiction. The Jetsons promised it, and Proto delivered it. pic.twitter.com/A2NHfVhThk
— ProtoHologram (@ProtoHologram) September 22, 2024
Since its launch in 2018, Proto has sold nearly 1,000 hologram boxes, founder David Nussbaum told CNN Business. The company’s technology appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2022. Jon Bon Jovi’s bar in Nashville, Tennessee, added a permanent proto-hologram unit to its interior in June.
Proto started using Proto at its San Francisco AI hub in August and has been steadily gaining success in communicating with Amazon. Also last month, a medical facility in West Tennessee became the first to use proto-holograms to send oncologists to patients, eliminating the need to travel far for specialized care.
I visited @west_cancer In Henry County, we toured Proto Epic, the first new telemedicine device in the United States. The device projects realistic, life-size images and allows patients to meet with cancer specialists in Memphis or elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/JFOb8lT97O
— Rep. David Kustoff (@RepDavidKustoff) September 3, 2024
Proto exists at a time when major technology companies are showing interest in hologram technology. Earlier this week, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg gave us a first look at Orion, Meta’s holographic glasses. The glasses superimpose holograms and digital communication with the physical world.
Zuckerberg said the glasses can best be thought of as a “time machine” and will need tweaking before being released to the public.
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