HoloLens On: A short story showcasing the power of holograms

Staff Writer

HoloLens On: A short story showcasing the power of holograms

Disclaimer: The story below is one of fiction and is written to showcase the potential of HoloLens. Please do not drive while wearing HoloLens. Please do not knock over old ladies. Please play Minecraft without guilt. Enjoy.

Good Morning

As quickly as the night came – it went. Ron’s Windows Phone shouted out, notifying him of the rising sun. With a reluctant hand, Ron reached over to his Windows Phone and silenced the alarm his virtual assistant, Cortana, had set for the busy Monday through Friday workweek.

Ron’s bedroom walls were bare white. Nothing hung in sight, not an ultra high definition television or pictures of his children. Pulling himself up from the cocoon of warmth that was his bed, Ron reaches over and grabs Microsoft’s HoloLens headset and places it on his head. The room explodes alive with energy.

His once bare wall now showcase living portraits of his children, and an 80-inch television becomes visible on the wall. Ron can’t help, but smile at his children laughing and playing in their photos. A woman from the BBC begins explaining how SpaceX has been exploring a virtual Mars here on Earth thanks to advances in hologram technology.

Just as Ron begins to settle in and listen, a warning pops up in front of his face showcasing an accident on the state highway – a traffic alert means he might be late to work. Upon opening his dresser drawer, HoloLens helps to point out the appropriate clothing for the day based on local weather conditions.

Health Cereal for breakfast

Just as the bedroom did, the kitchen sits quiet and still, but as Ron steps into the room the world comes to life. Fresh virtual roses appear on the table in an elegant place setting. Opening the cabinet, HoloLens scans the cereals contained within – based on a recommendation from Ron’s doctor, HoloLens highlights the rice cereal. Ron grunts but takes the box from the shelf.

As Ron eats what he feels might as well be Styrofoam cereal, a message from his coworker appears on Skype. Ron accepts the connection – Stephanie is calling from the company lab. A floating screen is instantly projected in front of Ron’s face, and he discusses the upcoming events of the day with his colleague.

Office Adventure

Ron rushes out the door, almost forgetting his keys. Thankfully, HoloLens uses a digital key fob to help Ron locate his lost items within the house. Looking out the window, Ron virtually taps his car, and it roars to life – it is a cold day and a nice warm car is always welcomed.

Moments later, Ron is out the door; his black Tesla Model S sits in the driveway. Scooting into the driver seat, HoloLens links up with the smart car and is on his way to work. Tesla recently released an update allowing automatic driving, but Ron still prefers to handle the wheel himself.

Unfortunately, Ron’s driving abilities have yet to develop as far as the car has gone. Missing his exit, HoloLens automatically highlights the next lane over to indicate where the car should instead be headed. Ron complies and moves the car. Due to the nature of driving, most features of HoloLens are disabled, but a few abilities including navigation are left available.

A familiar face appears

Ron pulls into his company lot, and HoloLens automatically communicates with the building’s parking system. Ron is virtually guided to an open space eliminating the headache of hunting down an available piece of asphalt.

As he heads for the building doors, Ron hears someone calls out to him from behind. Turning around, he spots a colleague, but in a moment of horror, Ron realizes that he has forgotten the man’s name. Ron’s colleague takes a step closer, and within seconds HoloLens recognizes the face from Facebook and the word “Joseph” floats above his head. Crisis is diverted.

Forensic Science

The office is unusually crowded today; luckily Ron works in the basement of the building – beautiful silence. After arriving on his floor, Ron heads over to the door marked “Forensic Science” and a virtual prompt appears in mid-air. Ron taps a few key clicks into the air and is granted access by the building’s computer system.

Stephanie has her lab coat and HoloLens headset on and is ready to get to work. A body was brought in last night after a vicious murder, and the pair must get to work. The two step over to the body and a list of checklist procedures from OneNote pop into view. The two collaborate in real time, going down the checklist.

Suddenly, Stephanie answers a call – it is the big man from upstairs. Stephanie steps away from the table and explains that she will be back momentarily; she grabs the Surface Pro 3 on the table and is out the door. In the meantime, Ron is free to precede his research alone.

Scan the body with HoloLens

Stephanie leaves the room, and Ron conjures up Xbox Music. All of his favorite artists are floating in front of him. Ron selects the soundtrack from “The Dark Knight” and goes to work. Surround sound music seems to dance around the room as Ron picks up the scalpel – nothing wrong with a touch of dramatic music while working.

Ron unbuttons the deceased man’s shirt, and HoloLens jumps into action. A virtual incision line appears, and Ron uses the scalpel to begin the procedure. As Ron continues, HoloLens digitally scans each organ looking for possible causes of death.

Suddenly an alert pops up, and HoloLens highlights the man’s liver. The system has detected a discoloration in the organ that Ron failed to pick up. Ron immediately sends the organ out for a tissue sample for further analysis. If a poison is detected it may be traceable – HoloLens may have just solved a murder.

Time to Relax

As the sun begins to set, and the workday ends, Ron bolts for the door. Sure, he almost takes an old lady down in the process, but it is Friday! Time to get home! Who could blame him? Ron gives up on being proactive and decides to allow the smart car to drive home.

Just as quickly as Ron had rushed out of work, he rushes into his home. Mandy has taken the kids on a trip to one of the relatives’ houses for the weekend. Ron officially has the house to himself. This hasn’t happened for a while, and it is time for Ron to enjoy himself.

Ron heads for his bedroom, swiping away notifications from HoloLens in the process – ain’t nobody got time for this. Once in the bedroom, Ron locks the door behind him and draws the shades. It is time for pure unadulterated pleasure.

Time to play Minecraft

With a wave of his hand, the room is transformed, and virtual Minecraft covers the bedroom landscape. There is nothing better than jumping into a holographic game after a long day of cutting up corpses. Ron has even been working on a medieval castle – it is the biggest Minecraft building in the room, perched on his night table.

Leaning back into bed, Ron recounts the day. Thanks to HoloLens, he made it to work on time, avoided an embarrassing social incident, moved a step closer to solving a murder, and finally added a new defense system to his Minecraft castle.

Ron pulls his headset off and lies down in his bed – it is time to unplug.

Good Night, everyone