By Vodafone Qatar

Remember when the Star Wars franchise was first launched? Remember how science fiction enthusiasts from around the world watched in awe as robot R2-D2 beamed a 3D hologram message from Princess Leia into thin air?

At that time, it felt like a fascinating showcase resulting from George Lucas’s genius, one that would never materialize in real life. However, technology (coupled with human ambition) has showed us time after time that movies are sometimes only the beginning, and that tech geeks can take the inspiration and completely disrupt the status quo.

That’s precisely what happened in Qatar a few weeks ago. At Vodafone Qatar’s 3^rd Annual Innovation Day, the company launched the region’s first holographic call, giving audiences a taste of what the exciting technology can do in the future.

Below, we outline 5 ways in which we anticipate that the disruptive technology will change how people live, work and operate business.

• Sports coaching and viewer experience

During its 3rd Annual Innovation Day, Vodafone Qatar conducted the region’s first live 5G Holographic call. The activation hosted Abdulkarim Hassan, Defender on the Qatar National team, who appeared as a live 3D hologram on stage in front of the event’s audience, giving footballing advice and tips to two members of Qatar’s future generation of athletes, currently training at Aspire Academy.

The activation gave audiences a taste of the world of possibilities that such technologies can offer – From allowing young athletes to continue practicing from home to completely revolutionizing the viewing experience for sports enthusiasts who prefer to appreciate the game without traveling long distances. This is especially relevant as Qatar gears up to host the upcoming 2022 tournament.

• 2- Remote medical diagnosis and training

Our lives are increasingly becoming intertwined with the virtual world, allowing us to access a variety of services remotely. Holography will support remote monitoring, enabling doctors to consult patients as well as involve colleagues around the world to consult on challenging cases.

Holography will also make doctors and treatment more widely available to increasing numbers of people, regardless of location. Not only that, but the innovative technology will contribute to impressive leaps within medical education, as aspiring doctors will be able to examine vital organs using 3D displays, giving them a more realistic understanding of the human body.

• Virtual education and classrooms of the future

Today’s tech-savvy students, who are always connected and consuming exciting visuals online, will not be interested in a boring one-hour long lecture about the Ice Age or World War I. Holography will enable teachers to bring to life major historical milestones in unforgettable detail using 3D representations. The technology will also remove physical boundaries, allowing students to interact with peers, mentors and role-models from around the world from all the comfort of their classrooms. The result is a classroom of the future where students are inspired, interested and excited to learn.

• A new era of advertising

Imagine walking in a mall and passing by a new coffee shop that opened recently. Now imagine that a 3D coffee cup appears in front of you – steam and everything – inviting you to come in and try it. Wouldn’t that be very cool?

Consumers have different companies and data sources vying for their attention daily. As a result, advertisements need to always be creative, attention-grabbing and exciting.

Here is where Holography comes in.

Holography is fun, different and reminds people of science fiction (see our Star Wars introduction above). So what better way to grab consumer attention than a 3D representation of your product or selling pitch?

• 5- Flawless business meetings

Have you ever been in a video call during a meeting and had to spend the first 15min trying to get a clearer connection with your client or international partners? Holography relies on 5G which has significantly lower latency – reducing buffering, or the time it takes for data to stream from one designated point to another – thus allowing for smoother and faster internet connections. This will allow for flawless and more efficient virtual business meetings.

The above are only five examples of how this cutting-edge technology will transform our world, with more yet to come.

Vodafone Qatar is committed to pioneering digital innovation and bringing the latest solutions that would transform the way people in Qatar live, work and operate business. The future is exciting… Ready?

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ILQ Staff

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