Cisco announces new Augmented Reality meeting solution with launch of Webex Hologram

In Augmented Reality News 

October 27, 2021 – Global technology provider Cisco has unveiled today at its WebexOne virtual event a preview of its new hybrid work collaboration product, ‘Webex Hologram’, a real-time meeting solution that takes advantage of augmented reality (AR) headsets to combine Webex meeting functionality with immersive 3D holograms.

With Webex Hologram’s holographic capabilities, workers will be able to interact in ways previously only possible in-person, according to the company.

“Our mission at Cisco is to empower the 3 billion digital workers on the planet to participate equally from anywhere in the world,” said Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Cisco Security and Collaboration. “Webex Hologram represents a large step toward our mission of delivering a work experience so seamless that there is no gap between virtual and in-person collaboration.”

The global COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive increase in remote and flexible working arrangements over the last 18 months, as well as a heightened need for enterprises to offer immersive virtual meetings. For example, in the healthcare industry when a new surgical device is introduced, physicians, technicians, sales and support teams need to be trained quickly. With Webex Hologram, training can now be handled remotely to save time and travel, while providing the ability to see the surgical device from every angle and at its actual size as if a physician were in the room.

“Webex Hologram is a powerful tool for our design engineers, drivers and crews as we continue to reimagine hybrid sports and supporting our team on tracks around the world,” said Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing. “Rather than flying a technician to the racing team or explaining procedures through flat images, with the Hologram technology we can immediately show an engine component from every angle, convey sizing, and instruct on assembly and usage as if they were in person – all while saving countless hours in travel time.”

Additional capabilities of Cisco’s Webex Hologram solution include:

• Enables a feeling of co-presence by delivering photorealistic, real-time holograms of actual people. For users, this means an experience that’s more engaging and realistic, as opposed to using avatars;
• Gives presenters the ability to share physical and digital content that allows users to co-create and truly collaborate. For example, for auto manufacturers, users can interact with a physical prototype of a vehicle that’s shared in the AR experience to examine and provide feedback on the vehicle’s engine and undercarriage. Design renderings of the car and other digital content can also be shared during the immersive experience;
• Provides a multi-dimensional experience for multiple users with support for a “1:many” presenter experience that enables remote participation from multiple users.
• Webex Hologram is also headset agnostic, and is compatible with industry-leading AR headsets, such as Magic Leap and Microsoft HoloLens.

In the past year, Webex by Cisco has introduced nearly 1,000 new features and devices to market and Webex Hologram will soon further bolster the Webex Suite, enabling remote and hybrid workers to engage in immersive experiences using an AR headset of choice. 

To learn more about Webex Hologram click here.

Image / video credit: Cisco / Magic Leap / YouTube

About the author

Sam Sprigg

Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.