News in Brief

Holograms on Trial

After its use as a means of holoporting actors, singers and sports people to remote venues, the Proto Epic is now being trialled to deliver witness testimonies.

During the pandemic, videoconferencing was introduced in many courtrooms to help keep to social distancing and avoid unnecessary trips to courtrooms.

A court within a law school in Virginia (US) is now taking the concept to the next level and holoporting witnesses into the witness box. Although the trial was mock, the hologram witnesses seemed real as they were transmitted full-size into the courtroom, according to Judge John Gibney Jr, who sits on the US District Court.

Gibney said the appearance of the hologram witnesses during the mock trial at William & Mary Law School wasn’t as good as having a genuine human being in the courtroom, but it was superior to seeing them on a video screen.

‘The improved definition in the picture gave the people watching and hearing the witness a better chance to evaluate their credibility’, he said.

William & Mary’s Center for Legal and Court Technology has spent the past four months experimenting with hologram court witnesses through a partnership with Proto Inc, a California-based hologram company. Proto loaned the centre an Epic – a unit roughly the size of a phone booth – which it used in four mock trials. The hologram witnesses appeared as though they are in the courtroom, albeit behind a piece of glass and with a several second delay when responding to questions.

Holograms have the potential to make witness testimony more convenient and accessible should courts and administrative agencies adopt the technology. However, it’s not yet clear whether hologram witness testimony would pass the Confrontation Clause in US law that grants those facing criminal prosecution the right to confront their accusers.

Holograms Protect Provenance

Checking the authenticity of Sabah-made products is now easier with the introduction of the ‘Authentic Sabah’ hologram label. The Malaysian state had been suffering from fraudsters passing off goods that had been made outside the state as having provenance from within Sabah.

‘This complaint was received from trade associations as well as from players in the manufacturing industry who requested that the State Government resolve this problem. Therefore, my ministry took the initiative by printing the ‘Authentic Sabah’ hologram label which will be distributed free of charge to all entrepreneurs registered with the Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR)’, said Minister Phoong Jin Zhe.

The hologram label will be used on all products made in Sabah and has security features that will deter counterfeiting attempts and boost consumer confidence that the goods they have purchased are indeed manufactured in Sabah.

Phoong said the hologram label is currently provided free of charge to 200 entrepreneurs registered with DIDR.

‘It is also a sort of identification for the entrepreneurs as with the hologram label, it means that their products have the verification from the ministry. This will also make it easier for the ministry to disseminate assistance to the 6,000 entrepreneurs registered with DIDR,’ he said.

Phoong added that the hologram label also makes it easier to hold ‘Sabah-made products’ promotion campaigns with retail outlets in other states and also to monitor the quality of the products to ensure that any issues are resolved quickly.

Who’s Next for the ABBAtar Hologram Treatment

More than a million fans have seen the ABBA Voyage holographic theatre experience since it opened in London last year. Now, Universal Music Group has announced that the band’s digital holographic avatars will soon go on a world tour.

But, you might ask yourself, which other band would you like to see perform as a holographic avatar?

That question was put to a selected group of Canadians and the votes are back and have been counted:

1. Michael Jackson: 19.4% of the vote

2. The Beatles: 14.4%

3. Elvis: 12.7%

4. Queen: 10.5%

5. Whitney Houston: 7.9%

6. Pink Floyd: 6.19%

And if you are wondering whether the investment in the motion capture technology, computer-generated graphics, special lighting and video effects are worth the investment, well – the Canadian survey also found that a third of those asked would pay more than $US 100 to see their favourite holographic avatars. Apply that to the million Londoners who have already seen ABBA Voyage (Editor: of which I was one, and yes it’s brilliant!) then that’s at least $US 50 million at a conservative estimate.

Not a bad return for the original members of ABBA (Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad), who don’t even have to move from their homes in Sweden now that their digital performances have been recorded!

The International School of Holography – Up and Running

Founded by internationally renowned holographer, Linda Law, the International School of Holography is an outgrowth of the courses she has been teaching online since 2013.

The aim of the school is to attract a new generation of artists who are looking to use light as an artistic tool. The school offers courses that will build on the existing technology while exploring the evolving forms of holography and supporting technologies.

The introductory course ‘Understanding Holograms’ (taught by Linda herself) begins on 21 June 2023 and is designed to introduce students to the spectrum of possibilities for creating holographic images. From there, students can choose from a range of auxiliary courses that will provide instruction in the foundational practices of the type of hologram they wish to create.

Currently, three auxiliary courses are available:

• The course on Computer Generated (CG) Holograms is taught by Jacques Desbiens, starts in September and is in two parts, both lasting six weeks. In part one, Jacques will lead students to work with Blender (or other software) to create 3D content and in part two, content will be created that can be processed at one of the leading CG companies.

• Melissa Crenshaw will deliver the Introduction to Creating Optical Holograms course – teaching the basic practices for creating holograms in both silver halide emulsions and in photopolymer.

• Art Through the Looking Glass is led by Jake Adams and requires access to a Looking Glass Factory portrait display and to have some basic skills with 3D software.

To learn more about the courses on offer visit: www.internationalschoolofholography.com/.