Whats the patent about?
Meta, thenFacebook, filed a Patent tool in 2020 titled3D Conversations in an Artificial Reality Environment.
To be clear: this is a patentapplicationthats recently been made public; the patent hasnt been granted yet.
What exactly does Meta mean by 3D conversations?
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
But video calls are pretty good.
What does 3D bring to the table?
Metas patent suggests it is interested in using realistic 3D depictions to communicate body language for more natural conversations.
This is contrasted with typical video calls, which tend to only focus on the face.
Understanding body language and context can be difficult with only a two-dimensional (2D) representation of a sender.
Further, communication often relies on interpersonal interactions, such as spatial movements between participants.
But this patent doesnt deal with cartoonyleg-less avatars.
So is Meta cooking up a holographic gear?
Well, itmightbe, but the patent doesnt specify that.
Instead, Meta seems more concerned withhowthat 3D data is captured, transmitted, and rendered.
And of course, the company does already makethe most popular VR headsetsin the world.
How can these conversations look realistic if Im wearing a headset?
To that, Meta has a solution: AI.
How can 3D conversations be transmitted on 2D devices?
All that 3D information would use a ton of data, wouldnt it?
In many cases, AI or pre-stored 3D models of you could fill in the blanks.
What does this say about Metas future plans?
But probably a lot.
But its that broadness that makes it interesting too.
Virtual spaces allow for infinite flexibility but require bulky, expensive headsets that isolate you from those around you.
There needs to be a way to allow conversations and interactions to happen across equipment types.
Granted, Meta isnt the only company working on 3D calls.
Google hasStarline, Cisco hasWebex Hologram, andMicrosoft has its Mesh platform.
