Holograms have been a staple of science fiction for decades.
However, at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, London-based company HYPERVSN is showing off what it says are human-sized, digital avatars that are three-dimensional that will interact with people in real time.
The idea is no gimmick, with the company suggesting that the life-sized avatars will ultimately be able to ‘work’ in shops, answering questions and suggesting products for customers.
Kiryl Chykeyuk, CEO and Co-Founder of HYPERVSN told Yahoo News that the avatars can deliver measurable returns for businesses, particularly in the retail sector.
“They enhance customer engagement, increase brand recognition, and drive foot traffic with their unique ‘wow’ factor,” he said.
Chykeyuk, who conceived the initial idea behind HYPERVSN during his PhD research at Oxford University, added: “By reducing costs on 24/7 customer service and improving conversion rates through captivating offline experiences, holographic avatar technology proves itself as a cost-effective and revenue-boosting innovation.”
‘Holographic’ display technology has been a staple of technology shows for many years, but has recently appeared in real-world displays over the past year, thanks to pioneers such as Hypervsn and Proto, with shops in the UK showing off displays that either allow people to control avatars, or use AI to speak to customers.
Companies such as OpenAI and Google are already touting AI services where users can interact in real time with AI chatbots, so the decision to ‘move’ the tech into the 3D world is unsurprising.
Rather than being projected onto a screen, the Hypervsn avatars are created by a fan-like, spinning screen of LEDs.
The LEDs spin round in 3D space, creating a 3D avatar, meaning that people can interact with the avatars as they would with real people.
The ‘normal’ Digital Avatars are designed for use in retail, at events and in entertainment, and offer real-time speech powered by Large Language Models similar to ChatGPT.
Users can speak directly to the avatars in multiple languages, which respond in real-time.
The company also showed off 3D visuals which ‘appear’ in retail spaces after consumers touch products, using similar spinning LED tech.
Hypervsn has shown off 3D ‘holographic’ installations for retailers such as Nike, as well as a large installation in the Las Vegas Sphere.
In London’s Nike store, Hypervsn technology was used to promote the launch of the Air Max Dn trainer, showing off 3D animations of the shoe at various stations around the retailer last summer.
Similar technology has been used for stage shows (with performers projected onto a sheet of material on stage) and for installations where images are projected onto a sheet of water vapour.
Other companies such as Hologrid offer different takes on the technology, such as Hologrid’s touchscreen ‘Hologram wall’ which shows off multiple 3D images to consumers.
The technology is projected to reach a value of $206 billion worldwide by 2032, according to Persistence Market Research.
Demand is expected to boom in billboards, kiosks and point-of-sale machines across the retail sector.
