In October 2021, NASA tested a system on the ISS that allowed a flight surgeon on Earth to appear as a full 3D hologram in front of an astronaut wearing a HoloLens 2.
The doctor could see the astronaut, talk to him, and gesture naturally, and the astronaut could interact with him as if he were standing in the same module.
What makes this interesting is not the hologram itself, but the real-time presence under extreme bandwidth constraints.
Deep-space missions, lunar bases, military environments, and rural medicine all have the same problem:
low or unstable connectivity, long latency, and zero guarantee of high-speed cloud AI.
A communication tool that doesn’t require a stable connection or cloud computing is far more important than a hologram on its own.
NASA called this three-dimensional telemedicine “holoportation,” and it may eventually allow:
• remote surgeons to assist astronauts
• engineers to guide repairs on the Moon or Mars
• specialists to appear in war zones without being there
• trainers and advisors to work without stable internet
The tech is still early. But the real story isn’t sci-fi visuals, it’s telepresence that survives when video calls and cloud AI fail.
Sources (for verification):
NASA article: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/innovative-3d-telemedicine-to-help-keep-astronauts-healthy/
CNET coverage: https://www.cnet.com/science/nasa-holoported-a-doctor-onto-the-international-space-station/
USA Today: https://phys.org/pdf569671840.pdf
by Intelligent-Mouse536
16 Comments
Computer, activate the EMH.
“Please state the nature of your medical emergency.”
Lunar bases I could see, but how far out (and how much lightspeed lag) before having a real time presence is more of a detriment than a bonus?
OTOH, having ways to send real time video over low bandwidth connections is awesome.
it doesn’t change anything that a teams session hadn’t already
Computer, generate 8 foot tall futanari versions of Bryce Dallas Howard and Eva Green. Reprogram to give them severe maternal instincts, but make them think that having sex with someone is the same as protecting them. Alter their perceptions to make them think that I am their son.
Disengage safety protocols and run program.
In 2021? How far along is the technology now?
Please tell me he was bald with a sarcastic sense of humor.
Eh… we’re still talking about delay of at very minimum 3 minutes for even light to reach mars from earth.
But on average its a delay of closer to 12 minutes.
This may be decent tech for a moon base though.
But unfortunately we are very much restrained with how fast we can transfer data, even using things like lasers.
Its not a question of how much, but how long it would take to reach the receiver.
We are likely much better off pushing for a reliable AI that could respond to emergency medical situations in real time with no delay.
Pshhhh that’s nothing. Scotty beamed me twice. It was wonderful…
Unfortunately, the ISS was out of network for the astronaut’s health care plan. He was billed $53,103 for the appointment, but they reduced the charge to $3,191 when they realized insurance wouldn’t cover it.
Why are you writing about an event that happened in 2021?
Why is it relevant now? What has changed since then?
edit: nvm, OP is a bot account, they posted the same thing yesterday and it got removed [https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/1p61tzl/comment/nqnpvco/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/1p61tzl/comment/nqnpvco/?context=3)
Real-time and deep space don’t work together for some fundamental issues. Some Swiss patent guy did something.
This sub is getting really bad with the reposts lately.
This is the type of shit that makes me wish i could live longer just to see where it all goes.
I have very strong deja vu feeling…
Like I have seen something like this already by this uploader 11 hours ago…
Just a feeling.
> A communication tool that doesn’t require a stable connection or cloud computing is far more important than a hologram on its own.
There is no such thing as a [video] communication tool that doesn’t require a stable connection. Some protocols degrade more gracefully than others, but I don’t think that’s new.
This is cool for rural/orbital/lunar applications. But it mentions latency and Mars specifically. The laws of physics enforce a minimum 3-minute latency between Earth and Mars, up to 22 minutes depending on the orbital cycle. No foreseeable technology is going to fix that.