The Russian invasion of Ukraine marches on, stealing lives and destroying land. As the war continues, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has found a new way to fulfill international duties, appearing in conferences via hologram technology.
While the tech doesn’t look as cool as it does in movies, fans of newfound technology can see some of the more practical uses of hologram imagery. Yes, bringing back ABBA on stage is cool, but helping countries in need is far cooler. Furthermore, this is a fairly intriguing preview if nothing else.
Ukrainian President Hologram attends conference
According to The Next Web, Zelensky's hologram appeared via a two-meter tall touch screen display developed by ARHT media. While Hologram projections have been feasible on concert stages, this is a more practical way on using the technology.
Zelensky’s appearance wasn’t without purpose. The Ukrainian President wasn’t simply attending a press conference during wartime. Instead, the holographic message was used as a call for companies to not abandon investment in Ukraine during this critical time.
For now, hologram receivers need to be a box with a screen. Granted, the tech isn’t as cool as Star Wars — little blue holograms are still the peak — but is still interesting, nonetheless. Keep in mind that Star Wars is more fantasy than sci-fi, so making those holograms real is going to take a while.
Instead, this hologram appears more as a glasses-less 3D display, like a huge Nintendo 3DS. As such, many appear to be divided over how the hologram looks with some angles looking impressive, making it seem like Zelensky was really in the box talking to us. However, some angles also made the view less impressive, making it seem like a projected video on a screen and not much else.
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A New Hope
Holograms are still fairly new but many wondered why Zelensky decided to use them during these tech conferences. It turns out that Zelensky is a huge Star Wars fan and he had a fairly inspiring message about why he used holograms.
"By the way," he said, "this is not the only aspect of 'Star Wars' that we are putting into practice — we will defeat the empire too."
In the President’s heartfelt, if nerdy, speech, Zelensky continued to inspire citizens during such dangerous times. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destroyed much, and technology has helped immensely.
From Starlink Satellites keeping the country connected to 3D scanning preserving monuments, technology has been a crutch that Ukraine has leant on frequently.