It’s been over a decade since holograms made a dent in the public consciousness with will.i.am’s appearance via hologram on CNN to discuss the 2008 election. Since then, holograms have cropped up in unexpected places, including reviving deceased musicians in a number of settings. But it turns out that one of the most intriguing uses for the technology is for a more quotidian purpose — getting people into the same space without one of them having to travel to do so.
That’s the thinking behind the tech company PORTL, whose technology acts as a kind of telepresence device, sending a full-size image of one person into another space. The applications for office work are pretty clear, but that’s not all PORTL has its goals set on. Its technology made an appearance at last year’s Art Basel Miami, for instance.
It turns out that there are other applications for PORTL’s tech at a high-profile event drawing experts from all over — especially at a time when people might be reluctant to travel. A new article at Sportico (via Yahoo) detailed the ways in which PORTL’s technology has been used at this year’s Super Bowl, for example.
As the article pointed out, four different events around the Super Bowl all made use of PORTL’s devices. As Sportico notes, that’s not the company’s only connection to the world of sports, either. No less than 57 athletes or former athletes are investors in the company, including Marshawn Lynch and Breanna Stewart.
While PORTL does some technology rentals, it’s also looking to embed its tech in various sports venues around the nation. Could a hologram of your favorite athlete beam in from hundreds of miles away the next time you’re at a basketball or soccer game? We might just be nearing that day.
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