The OLOS® platform for antropomorphic
interfaces:
from human-computer to human-human
interactions
WATCH NEW OLOS®II TEASER
ABSTRACT
User interfaces with anthropomorphic characteristics are obviously a very natural mode of interaction between man and machine. However, interfaces that reproduce perfectly the human expression and figure were so far considered as a fundamentally unreachable goal.
The OLOS® platform reaches it by changing the assumption that this is just a matter of engineering, and by leveraging a pragmatic and effective fusion of human creativity and state of the art technologies from IT and digital cinematography.
In OLOS®, human beings of flesh and blood supply all the expressions and actions that the interfaces will use in their interaction with human users. They do so by playing parts and roles as in a performance. These performances are then captured as sequences of images at very high visual output (8K) through techniques of holographic simulation, and are deployed at the front-end of a highly distributed and interactive IT infrastructure, directly connected to the cloud, and capable of linking users to all the available computational and information resources. The resulting interfaces look and behave so human that it makes sense to refer to them as holographic human beings.
OLOS® anthropomorphic interfaces have already been deployed in a variety of real-life contexts, albeit with still limited capabilities compared to the second generation that is about to be born. The OLOS® platform is indeed evolutionary, and is compatible with various degrees of complexity and sophistication of the deployable interfaces. .
APPLICATIONS
Applications range widely, and include:
· info-points: holographic assistants providing information services are made available through virtual transparency monitors placed in locations with a constant influx of visitors, such as stations, airports, shopping malls, plazas, public administration offices, bank branches. The holograms answer questions, give explanations and direct visitors as appropriate.
· shops augmented with holographic assistants: for example, in a cosmetics shop an assistant can try different types of make-up for the customer, even varying them on the type of clothing, or in a jewelry store can try the favorite jewelry; these shops may also be demonstration points for sales activities that otherwise are exclusively based on ecommerce, hence improving their capability to reach the customer.
· museums populated by digitally resurrected characters: this approach has already been applied effectively through the OLOS® technology in the context of EXPO 2015, by resurrecting the queen of the Lombards Teodolinda and the poet Virgil to make them illustrate to visitors the history of Lombardy, and is feasible with boosted interactivity in the context of museums. For example, Galileo and Leonardo, digitally resurrected as holographic human beings, can, respectively, illustrate the principles of the telescope, and debate and discuss about the Mona Lisa smile.
· the holographic butler, able to coordinate a team of automated home appliances, and to interface with the home inhabitants, by picking up their commands, explaining the available features and possibly being proactive by suggesting, for example, a change in the AC settings based on forecasts of change in the outside temperature.
· the holographic trainer that provides those who practice a sport professionally, or for wellness, or for passion, with the ability to interact with a trainer at all times and make sure that it adopts programs strictly personalized for the user and constantly updated according to the latest developments of the practiced sport.