UK: Loughborough University to Introduce Hologram Lectures

Facts

• The UK's Loughborough University is set to use holographic technology to enable guests from Massachusetts Institute of Technology to lecture its fashion and management students, who reportedly prefer industry experts 'beaming into a classroom to a 2D person on the wall.'¹
• Following a year of experimentation, the technology — which has so far been used to bring deceased and retired singers back to the stage — will be officially introduced into the curriculum in 2025.²
• The university has teamed up with LA-based company Proto, known for its box-based holographic units used by clients including BT, IBM, and H&M, the last of which reportedly uses the technology in Stockholm to create interactive product displays.¹
• Proto's founder, David Nussbaum, claims the technology can project anyone's image, including dead celebrities such as Stephen Hawking, and make it appear like they're in the room.³
• Loughborough's Vice Chancellor, Professor Rachel Thomson, claims the technology could also tackle the university's carbon footprint by reducing the need to fly in guest lecturers and decreasing the material required to build prototypes in engineering, design, and creative arts classes.¹
• Meanwhile, Nussbaum has said Proto aims to develop smaller holographic units that will retail at $1K, so as to make the technology more affordable.⁴

Sources: ¹The Guardian, ²Yahoo News, ³Evening Standard and ⁴Tech Times.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Tech For Good. While the cost and technical advancement of holograms are not yet universally accessible, it's possible that they will become part of the future of learning. Conference panels and medical lab instructors have already found great success with holograms, and it's also been found to increase student engagement compared to video conferencing technology like Zoom. The in-person effect that everyone fears losing can be maintained — even if the lecturer is located thousands of miles away.
• Technoskeptic narrative, as provided by Archive. Introducing hologram or augmented reality (AR) professors marks the beginning of an intangible future. While some people may like the idea of screen-projected human beings or products in their lives, it's important to understand that this comes with risks. The scary potential for this technology includes application to AR memorabilia, family photos, and other personal items. The world needs to be skeptical about this technology, and critical about when and when not to allow it into people's lives.

Predictions