NASA is using 3D telemedicine to “teleport” doctors to the ISS. The process uses hologram technology, like Microsoft’s Hololens camera, to transport high-quality 3D models to the space station. It’s a new way that NASA is testing to help provide astronauts with the medical care they need.
With NASA and other space agencies pushing to put more people in space, They’re going to need ways to communicate more efficiently. One prospective way of doing that is holoportation. The technology has been in use since at least 2016 at companies like Microsoft. However, this is the first time that NASA has used it. And what better way to use it than in the pursuit of 3D telemedicine, according to BGR.
“This is completely new manner of human communication across vast distances. Furthermore, it is a brand-new way of human exploration, where our human entity is able to travel off the planet. Our physical body is not there, but our human entity absolutely is there,” Dr. Josef Schmid said in a statement NASA shared.
This is the first time that anyone has used holoportation between space and Earth. NASA says that it is testing its current 3D telemedicine methods as a precursor for future space missions. The space agency says that it plans to use holoportation for private medical conferences, as well as family conferences and to bring VIPs to the space station. It would ultimately allow for an easier way for astronauts to visit with people.
