Cisco wants to make virtual meetings more immersive with real-time holograms of actual people just like sci-fi movies

• Cisco at its WebexOne event unveiled a new collaboration tool ‘Webex Hologram’.
• This tool produces real-time holograms of actual people for video meetings.
• It lets participants in the meeting collaborate on digital and physical content.

Offices have now moved into a hybrid working system and some have even adopted a permanent work from home or anywhere policy. To make meetings still more immersive, Cisco has unveiled a new collaboration tool called “Webex Hologram” for video meetings. The technology was previewed at Cisco’s WebexOne event.

Webex Hologram, as the name suggests, will project immersive 3D holograms through the use of augmented reality (AR) headsets. This new collaboration tool was developed to help teams that require more hands-on collaboration during meetings which isn’t possible when working remotely. Cisco also expects Webex Hologram to help in training physicians to use new surgical devices without having to be physically present. There have been multiple developments in widely used meeting platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams to make remote work more immersive but these features still have many limitations.


In a video demonstrated by Cisco, we can see how Webex Hologram takes virtual meetings to another level with the feeling of being in an in-person meeting. As explained by Cisco, Webex Hologram produces “photorealistic, real-time holograms of actual people.” Participants can share and collaborate with digital content as well as physical content. Both parties will have to use AR headsets to enter the holographic meeting experience. Webex Hologram is compatible with AR headsets from companies such as Magic Leap and Microsoft HoloLens.

Cisco also gave an example of using Webex Hologram in the auto industry where participants can interact with a physical prototype of a vehicle, and collaborate on the design renderings of the car. This collaboration tool also supports multiple participants but Cisco did not confirm how many specifically. It’s available to limited participants now and interested companies can apply for the pilot test. Cisco is expected to make Webex Hologram widely available soon.

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