reimagining the world with intelligent holograms

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Reimagining the World with Intelligent Holograms As we move toward an increasingly digital future, the ability to blend the virtual with the physical world is not only an accepted norm, but has utilitarian applications. A case in point is holographic technology, which is on the cusp of transforming business in new and heretofore unimagined ways. October 2017 DIGITAL SYSTEMS & TECHNOLOGY

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Page 1: Reimagining the World with Intelligent Holograms

Reimagining the World with Intelligent Holograms

As we move toward an increasingly digital future, the ability to blend the virtual with the physical world is not only an accepted norm, but has utilitarian applications. A case in point is holographic technology, which is on the cusp of transforming business in new and heretofore unimagined ways.

October 2017

DIGITAL SYSTEMS & TECHNOLOGY

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Today, an expectant mother at her doctor’s for a regular check-up can hear the

heartbeat and view an ultrasound image of her developing child. In the very near

future, a combination of holographic technology and artificial intelligence (AI) will

transform this experience into something more intimate and life-like, where a full

360-degree, fully-formed view of the baby can be seen intrauterine by parents and

doctors throughout the gestation cycle. Such a captivating experience would keep

parents informed and help doctors assess fetus development through a real world

view that could better enable them to prescribe care.

Holograms have the potential to upend visualization as we know it. In fact, the

mixed-reality movement of virtual-meets-physical is already emerging around us.

From rudimentary entertainment like Pokémon Go, to politicians who use holograms

to address large dispersed crowds, mixed reality draws people in. The medical

field, having realized the usefulness of this technology, is investing great sums in

its cultivation. With various use cases unfolding, the medical holography market is

expected to reach nearly USD $1 Billion by 2021.1

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Numerous holographic use cases have already emerged that illuminate the utility

and allure, which can be applied for real-world benefits such as increasing audience

reach, reducing design costs or planning for disasters with 3-D infrastructure

imaging. Such benefits ensure that holography is a business disrupter that can help

organizations seamlessly merge the real and digital worlds in ways that advance

corporate objectives.

Although holographic technology has existed for decades, recent advances reveal

that the promise of democratization (i.e., making previously “elite” insights and

experiences available to everyday people) is unlocking innovative applications in the

emerging digital world. Even though technological challenges persist, continuous

research and effort are beginning to bridge gaps between usage and functionality. This

means that it is time for enterprises to embrace these technological developments

and prepare themselves with the right strategies and approaches as holograms

move from nice-to-have to must-have business tools.

This white paper explores a number of emergent use cases in holographic technology,

how foundational tools can be applied to real-world implementations and what

enterprises should be pondering in today’s digital business context.

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What makes holography alluring is the ability to mix stagecraft with usability that can push the boundaries of experience.

INTELLIGENT HOLOGRAMS IN ACTION

While holographic technology itself emerged many decades ago, the ease with which we can decon-

struct, transmit and reconstruct 3-D images has vastly increased over the past few years. The

advancement of digital cameras, massive increases in network speeds and the ability to implement

AI algorithms that can reconstruct digital signals to render holograms in real time have opened new

business vistas to holographic applications. Numerous use cases are emerging that reveal the impact

this technology could have in fields ranging from visual communication through medicine and product

design to art.

What makes holography alluring is the ability to mix stagecraft with usability that can push the bound-

aries of experience. The potential applications of holography are not restricted to any particular

domain or industry. In this section, we explore a few emerging use cases that can, once perfected,

essentially alter and enhance our daily lives.

Medical Holography

Medical holography can help doctors diagnose and treat patients in a variety of ways. Using digital

scans originating from MRI, CT scans, ultrasound, etc., holography can help recreate the human anat-

omy in an actual 3-D space, allowing doctors to zoom in, manipulate images, and view organs and

tissues from multiple perspectives. This enables doctors not only to view medical images but also to

interact with them as if they are actual live tissue and organs. Already available are products such as

Echopixel and GE’s Vivid E9 with XDclear that allow data sets from CT and MRI scans to be converted

into 3-D visualizations.

Surgical planning is another area where holograms can have a transformational impact by providing

doctors with a virtual preview of what they will see in the operating room. This will enable surgeons to

perceive any unusual or intricate structures in 3-D and plan to operate with heightened clarity.

Holographic technology also offers huge possibilities of improvement in medical training. As opposed

to traditional textbooks explaining and depicting anatomical structures, holograms allow professors

and students to see the entire human body in 3-D, move elements around, resize them, and even

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Surgical planning is another area where holograms can have a transformational impact by providing doctors with a virtual preview of what they will see in the operating room. This will enable surgeons to perceive any unusual or intricate structures in 3-D and plan to operate with heightened clarity.

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An idea incorporated in the holographic design of a product by one designer can be viewed by and added upon by another located remotely, thus completely defying the barriers of physical distance.

remove and replace parts. The technology offers a hands-free mode of studying intricate anatomical

structures, all guided by mere hand gestures.

As holography proliferates, its use clearly will help surgeons, professors and students. But its benefits

also extend to patients in areas such as preventive healthcare, as holograms will impart enhanced and

immersive wellness education.

Product Design & Development

Product companies face challenges moving from drawing boards and screens to actual physical

spaces and objects. Enter the hologram. Holograms can recreate the design in a 3-D virtual world and

help product designers visualize, collaborate, share ideas and make decisions at inception points, thus

accelerating the design process from traditional monitor-based techniques.

Collaboration and brainstorming are critical to the product design process, requiring inspiration from

converging creative minds to conceptualize and create new product models. With holograms, globally

dispersed designers can collaborate seamlessly, without constraints. A 3-D model hosted in a cloud

environment can be worked on by different designers with the same ease at which we play online mul-

tiplayer games today. An idea incorporated in the holographic design of a product by one designer

can be viewed and amended by another located remotely, thus completely defying the barriers of

physical distance.

Holograms for Product Design & Development

Figure 1

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Product testing can also benefit from holography. It allows designers to ensure their designs conform

to safety standards by performing simulated tests based on what product users would do in certain

situations.

Finally, holograms can allow trainees and field service agents to study and inspect products in 3-D.

That will enable them to conceptualize the working of a product, and understand the steps required

for troubleshooting an issue by creating a lifelike virtual scenario. This will take the mixed reality

experience a step beyond today’s augmented-reality-based applications.

Immersive Interactions

The art of being in multiple places simultaneously is already possible. For example, Narendra Modi,

the Prime Minister of India, used holograms to address crowds at multiple rallies simultaneously, when

running for the post.2

Other immersive holographic experiences include K-Live,3 the world’s first performance hall devoted

to holographic concerts. Here, Korea’s top pop acts perform virtually on the stage through life-sized

projections of the artists, providing the audience with the experience of a live concert. In a similar set-

ting, Ralph Lauren4 put on a holographic fashion show, where models were seen walking the ramp in

virtual 3-D sets. And in an unforgettable instance, Michael Jackson was brought back from the grave

at the Billboard Music Awards.5

With the growing ease of creating and projecting holograms, the already ebbing boundaries between

the physical and the digital world are expected to blur into nonexistence. Now that the image of the

virtual self can alter in sync with the real self, real-time holographic interactions might be the next

commonly adopted mode of communication.

Enhancing Sales Processes

Holograms can provide a product marketing edge by creating visual appeal at points of sale. Eye-catch-

ing and dramatic 3-D holographic displays in the retail space can have a more far-reaching impact

compared with traditional advertising strategies. One such display was used by Altec Lansing6 to

promote its new series of Bluetooth speakers. The speakers were shown in a setting where they were

exposed to extreme conditions such as fire and water, and yet appeared to be indestructible.

In addition to in-store product displays, holograms can be effectively applied to drive customer

experience to a whole new level. Holographic changing rooms, for example, would enable shoppers to

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virtually try on a wide range of clothing. Holograms can provide a virtual, compelling and personalized

display of products, with dynamically changing sale items based on what customers view. For example,

once a woman chooses a dress, a hologram image of an accessory that matches it perfectly would

automatically appear, thus capturing the customer’s attention and aiding the buying decision with a

personalized recommendation.

Real-Time Rendering with Overlays

Holographic technology can help in rendering virtual overlays of real-world scenarios in real time. This

can be a game-changer in areas such as emergency services and calamity management, where real-

time decision-making, integration of resources and collaboration are of utmost significance.

For example, while managing wild fires in wooded areas, drones equipped with holography-compatible

cameras can be navigated to areas rendered inaccessible by humans to create a 3-D holographic map

of the affected region. This can enable firefighters to contain fires quickly by directing resources to

where they are most needed. This can also be used to prevent forest fires in the first place, by identi-

fying – and then mitigating – hot spots.

Holograms can also be used to create simulated environments to train public safety professionals to

visualize and respond to disaster situations. It can also help in conducting emergency drills for the

public by adding hazards to the existing physical world in a mixed-reality scenario. This will enable

officials to better understand hazards and will help to train them in mitigation measures.

Last, but not least, with holographic technology, search and rescue operations can also be made

easier by guiding emergency experts to locations virtually in a more realistic manner so they can

readily navigate through the affected areas.

INTELLIGENT HOLOGRAMS ON THE CUSP OF REALITY

The concept of intelligent holograms is relatively old, but the convergence of the following technology

and usability constructs is bringing its potential to the forefront:

• Portability and democratization: The development of mixed-reality headsets like Microsoft Holo-

Lens makes consumption of holograms more portable and democratic (i.e., imagery can now be

taken to the people). Not long ago, it was expensive to construct and view holograms; inflexible

projection equipment often took days to set up.

• Source capture technology: Another critical facilitator of holographic experiences is better avail-

ability and improved capability of special cameras that can capture three-dimensional information

and recognize depth perception. Such devices can take in different perspectives of a subject that

can then be used to construct a hologram.

• Sensor information streams: The proliferation of sensors across the world capturing environmen-

tal data around us adds yet another important data source. The availability of large and growing

data sets is critical to building AI algorithms that recognize and learn patterns and trends while

improving the accuracy and reality of experiences over time. Also, sensor data captured in real

time can help to calibrate the real-time behavior of holograms.

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• Intelligent reconstruction: Merging holograms that provide visual depth with AI from sensor

data results in a perfect mix of real and virtual overlays. This can create increasingly innovative

simulations that can be used in the wide number of use cases mentioned above. For example,

while an ultrasound scan can provide one level of data about the heartbeat, position and size of

a baby in the womb, AI algorithms can build upon these signals and create near-real reconstruc-

tions of what the baby looks like.

• Processing power and connectivity: Finally, the growing abundance of processing power and

bandwidth is removing obstacles to enable the rapid exchange of data and insights beyond geo-

graphical boundaries. This will help us transfer digital bytes over media like the cloud or fog

faster, thus allowing holograms to easily reach far-flung places.

Technology and usability convergence (see Figure 2) is helping industry experts innovate from

entirely different dimensions: How to create technology for a particular usability construct, and

how to use a new technology construct.

The Converging Forces of Technology & Usability

Figure 2

Better imagery with depth perception

Ability to reach the masses

Underlying infrastructure

supporting data transfers

Variables for continuous

improvement and accuracy

Usability

Tech

no

log

y

Source CaptureTechnology

IntelligentReconstruction

Processing Power and Connectivity

Sensor InformationStreams

Portability &Democratization

AI-driven reconstruction of signals to realistic

rendering

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ENTERPRISE ADOPTION: CHALLENGES AND THE WAY AHEAD

While holography has found initial success in a variety of pilot projects (such as those referenced

above), the widespread adoption of hologram-based solutions is contingent on technological advances

that will make greater capabilities available at lower price points. Among the problems enterprises

face in adopting new technologies such as mixed reality is proactively identifying the fit between

technology and user needs. If the technology is not capable of meeting user expectations and require-

ments, this can very quickly lead to disillusionment and abandonment.

Another common challenge is that the user group usually is not willing or able to take responsibility

for the technology. It therefore is important for decision-makers to play the dual role of managing

both the development and the implementation. These two groups – users of the technology, who will

need to accept and manage the change, and developers, who need to implement the solutions in

usable form – must work in parallel to achieve sustainable success.

Technological challenges such as ergonomics, field of view, battery life, etc. must still be overcome

to propel widespread use of holographic headsets. These issues, however, are iterative in nature and

should be solved over time. Enterprises will need to keep pace with developments so they are not left

behind and can also make use of holography’s emerging benefits. Figure 3 reveals a number of helpful

steps to consider for aligning with the technology’s inevitable progression.

Stepping Up to Enterprise Holography

• Identify the right use case. Start with a pilot for a particular business unit before scaling up

the technology. This will serve two purposes. First, it will ensure that the technical feasibility of

holography is proven to all stakeholders. Second, this approach will give other business units the

confidence to adopt it.

• Identify a champion within the business group who understands the need for the technology.

This person can be a “salesperson” for the technology, and a problem-solver who spearheads

adoption. They can also be the sponsor who ensures continued financial and resource support.

Use case identification

Focus on business and innovation groups

Design and development team

Infrastructure

Figure 3

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• Assemble the right team. Designing and developing for mixed reality is a true paradigm shift, so

when building your organization’s holographic development team it is important to consider the

roles and capabilities needed. Some projects might need fewer people and others more – it’s the

skill sets that matter.

• Keep abreast of the latest technological developments for overcoming hardware and software

challenges. Deploying holography wide-scale will first require infrastructure – beacons, sensors,

and wireless and cellular technology – to support mixed reality instrumentation and connectivity.

Once all the above capabilities are working in tandem, enterprises can hit go in their journey with

mixed reality. Beyond this, with advances in AI and machine learning, enterprises should consider

combining capabilities such as image recognition with emerging holographic technology to create an

environment of ubiquitous intelligence.

As the technology improves and the cost declines, enterprise adoption of mixed reality will rise. It is

important for both business and IT to devise a strategy now on how to put this technology to best use.

Companies will create new experiences, tapping into a multitude of data sources – private, public or

purchased. For instance, an infrastructure planning company will be able to tap into computer-aided

design (CAD) images and live images of infrastructure, along with weather data from satellite moni-

toring stations, to create holograms that will help both people and agencies to visualize the effects of

various types of inclement weather.

Or the holographic office receptionist will be able to recognize customers and tap into their digital fin-

gerprints (which we call Code Halos7) to understand their preferences and thus automatically provide

the customer with tailored services or solutions.

With advances in AI and machine learning, enterprises should consider combining capabilities

such as image recognition with emerging holographic technology to create an environment

of ubiquitous intelligence.

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QUICK TAKE

Enhancing Customer Experience at the Point of Sale

We recently developed a prototype that uses Microsoft HoloLens to enhance customers’ buying

experience at a point of sale, by enabling them to interact with product holograms while making

buying decisions.

This application is specifically for helping customers browse through and select car accessories. This

innovative process of selection shifts from a pamphlet-based view of the product to a lifelike holo-

graphic view that the customer can interact with, manipulate and customize.

Users wearing HoloLens start by picking a car model, which appears as a 3-D holographic image on the

display space. They can then select and view different accessories such as wheels, spoilers, floor mats,

etc. that can scale up and down in size, appear in different colors and be rotated for a 360-degree view.

These accessories can be examined individually, and they can be fitted onto the holographic car, to

provide the customer with a realistic visualization of how the car would look with different accessories.

Beyond car-accessory shopping, the concept of holographic product exploration can be deployed wide-

ly, to help customers experience products such as houses, furniture, etc. This capacity will transform

the buying experience by enabling customers to interactively explore objects before making purchases.

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This innovative process of selection shifts from a pamphlet-based view of the product to a lifelike holographic view that the customer can interact with, manipulate and customize.

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Ramesh YechangunjaChief Architect, Cognizant’s Global Technology Office

Ramesh Yechangunja is a Chief Architect within Cognizant’s Global

Technology Office (GTO), where he heads GTO’s human-computer

interactions discipline. In this role, he researches haptics, virtual

reality, augmented reality and gesture computing, as well as simu-

lation and analysis, and converts these technologies into products

and services for commercial use. Ramesh is responsible for all

aspects of the lab, including strategic planning, engineering and

R&D. Previously, he was the Senior Technology Officer at Yan-

tric, Inc., an R&D firm spun off from the MIT Touchlab, which is a

global leader in the field of haptics. Ramesh has a master’s degree

in electrical engineering from Penn State University and a bach-

elor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering from

Bangalore University. He can be reached at Ramesh.Yechangunja@

cognizant.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rameshyg/.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Srinivas TKDirector, Cognizant’s Global Technology Office

Srinivas TK (TK) is a Director within Cognizant’s Global Technology

Office where he is responsible for thought leadership dissemination,

market messaging and managing GTO’s technology alliances. He is

a deep generalist with 17-plus years of cross-functional experience

in the IT services industry, and he has played a multitude of roles

across consulting, delivery, business development, marketing and

alliance management. TK received a postgraduate degree in busi-

ness management from T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal. He

can be reached at [email protected] | www.linkedin.com/

in/srinivastk.

Preeti ChhapariaSenior Business Analyst, Cognizant’s Global Technology Office

Preeti Chhaparia is a Senior Business Analyst within Cognizant’s

Global Technology Office (GTO). She is responsible for marketing

messaging and knowledge dissemination of emerging technol-

ogy from GTO’s point of view. Preeti’s passion is to create new

and fresh perspectives on technologies of the future as seen

through a prism of business and individual usability. She received

a postgraduate degree in business management from the Indian

Institute of Management, Ranchi. Preeti can be reached at Preeti.

[email protected] | https://www.linkedin.com/in/preeti-ch-

haparia-4ba10543.

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FOOTNOTES

1 www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/medical-holography.asp.

2 www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10803961/Magic-Modi-uses-hologram-to-address-dozens-of-rallies-at-once.

html.

3 http://mashable.com/2016/02/16/k-pop-hologram-concerts-south-korea-singapore/#3osYY3BbT8qF.

4 www.businessinsider.in/Ralph-Lauren-Creates-A-Virtual-Fashion-Show-With-Holograms-In-Central-Park/article-

show/42378867.cms.

5 www.engadget.com/2014/05/18/michael-jackson-hologram/.

6 www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGRW8qT9GzE.

7 Code Halos: How the Digital Lives of People, Things, and Organizations Are Changing the Rules of Business, by Malcolm

Frank, Paul Roehrig and Ben Pring, published by John Wiley & Sons, April 2014, www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/pro-

ductCd-1118862074.html.

REFERENCES

• J. Geng, “Three-dimensional display technologies,” Advances in Optics and Photonics 5, 456 (2013).

• B. C. Kress and P. Meyrueis, Applied Digital Optics (Wiley, 2000).

• M. Lucente, in SMPTE 2nd Annual International Conference on Stereoscopic 3D Media Entertainment, Society of Motion

Picture and Television Engineers (2011).

• www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/3d-hologram-future-technology-entertainment-01214803#k61cAXLT3bT1H-

7tU.97.

• www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/researchers-develop-real-floating-3d-hologram/.

• http://emag.medicalexpo.com/holograms-for-future-medical-training/.

• Ayres, P. (2006), “Using subjective measures to detect variations of intrinsic cognitive load within problems,” Learning and

Instruction, 16(5), 389-400.

• www.neowin.net/news/sketchup-aims-to-transform-industrial-design-using-holograms-with-new-microsoft-hololens-app.

• http://trikonatech.com/index.php/3d-holography.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Biju Shoolapani, Head of GTO’s Digital Technologies Labs, for his insights and guidance during the writing of this

paper. We also thank the technologists who provided the nuts-and-bolts view of holographic technology in action: Madhu Mohan

Bhukya, Jaideep Takkar, Ashmita Kumari Nandi and Vivekananth Sukumar.

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GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICE

The Global Technology Office (GTO) is a core business unit of Cognizant with a mandate to power technology-driven transformation. GTO’s mission is to power and accelerate Cognizant’s capability to harness transformative technologies and enable our customers, people and processes to navigate the shift in the work ahead.

As part of GTO, Cognizant Technology Labs is the specialist group that researches, pilots and prototypes emerging technologies with the most potential to spark transformative business innovations. Our labs focus on pursuing tomorrow’s technologies to put our clients ahead and extending our footprint in specific areas where we believe technology trends are headed.

We develop solutions that bring real value to our clients’ businesses, and help them own and embrace emerging technologies in ways that make sense for their organizations. We also draw on our existing building blocks and emerging technology expertise to accelerate develop-ment of new applications.

ABOUT COGNIZANT

Cognizant (NASDAQ-100: CTSH) is one of the world’s leading professional services companies, transforming clients’ business, operating and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build and run more innova-tive and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant is ranked 205 on the Fortune 500 and is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com or follow us @Cognizant.

© Copyright 2017, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

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