Proto M, for miniature, “but I prefer to say M for magic,” enthuses David Nussbaum, the founder of Proto. The American company imagines devices used to transmit people and objects in hologram. From Los Angeles, it was therefore in a hologram that David Nussbaum responded to Tech&Co’s questions with a remarkable entrance, faithful to the eccentric character, despite the early morning on the other side of the Atlantic.
It appears as a 3D projection in this 60 cm tall rectangular box. The effect is amazingly realistic. Unlike Teams or Zoom, the exchange is much more detailed and lively than a regular video chat. Above all, the volume effect is striking.
The latter has been traveling for several weeks without ever leaving his black briefcase containing the famous Proto M.
Talking, playing sports, showing off your NFTs or even shopping, the Proto M aspires to become an essential for all everyday uses. But at the moment, the device is mainly used by companies, to exchange with employees who are on the other side of the world.
A limited audience given the price, starting at $5,000 for the Proto M Enterprise and $2,000 for the Home version. The company even offers a human-sized version with its Epic model.
At the moment, it is mainly the big luxury brands that are investing in Proto like Christie’s or Dior.
From fiction to reality
Very specifically, operating a Proto M device requires a smartphone, a good Wi-Fi connection, and a blank background. The app controls what is displayed on the screen as a hologram. People, objects, clothes, everything can appear. The user can, for example, make purchases using a displayed QR code, attend concerts, as underlined this appearance of the rapper Puff Daddy, or even see stand up: “We connect stand up rooms all over the world at the same time,” says the founder.
David Nussbaum is a fan of the saga Star Wars Y Return to the future and he wanted to make teleportation a kind of reality: “I said to myself ‘if it’s not me doing it, who will?'”
The founder does not like the term hologram so much and prefers the expression projection of a real presence or volumetric projection. “People often have a negative view of holograms, but this term has become common, so we use it,” he explains.
The first Proto M will be released in the first quarter of 2023, pre-orders are already possible. Raffi Kryszek says the teams are trying to find ways to lower the price so eventually everyone can have their hologram at home.
Source: BFM TV
