The holographic doctor conceived by the writers of 'Star Trek' becomes reality: a NASA surgeon and his team were in fact teleported with a hologram on the International Space Station (ISS) to dialogue and interact in real time with an astronaut.
It happened last October, but NASA is only reporting it now.
The experiment was conducted with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who returned to Earth in November 2021. It is the first 'holotransport' experiment between Earth and space, carried out thanks to Microsoft technology. .
"This is a completely new way to communicate over large distances," says NASA flight surgeon Josef Schmid, who was the protagonist of this unusual experience last October.
"It is a very new way of exploring, in which our human entity is able to travel off the planet."
The doctor Josef Schmid holotransported to the ISS (source: T. Pesquet, Esa)
Unlike traditional holographic projections that appear suspended in the air and can be seen by anyone, holotransportation requires the use of an augmented reality headset (such as Microsoft's HoloLens technology) for the wearer to be able to perceive and interact with the individual (for example the doctor) who is at a distance, filmed by multiple cameras.
In this case, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who wore the visor aboard the ISS, had a conversation with Schmid, his staff members and Fernando De La Pena Llaca, the managing director of Aexa Aerospace who developed the holotransport software for the computer used by Pesquet.
Although Microsoft's technology has been available for some time, until now it has never been used to connect people on Earth and in space: a possibility that can be very useful in long-duration missions, to allow astronauts to consult doctors and to confront each other. with the technicians who have provided them with sophisticated technologies.
At the moment, NASA plans to use holotransport to allow astronauts in orbit to make medical examinations and meet their families, but also to bring famous people to visit the ISS.