Manufacturers have outfitted their products with high-resolution cameras, and available bandwidth permits comfortable video conferencing, yet telepresence experiences remain limited. Huawei wants to change that with its MirrorSys system, which features a 220-inch super-screen and 8K resolution.
The Current State of Telepresence
A quick search for telepresence devices will show something similar to a Segway with a camera and a screen on its top. Some time ago we talked about the escape of a telepresence robot, probably the most striking and entertaining thing done with one. Nobody denies its usefulness as a communication tool, but the quality of each session is restricted to what the camera can transmit, which in many cases is a glorified webcam. In other words, there is much room for improvement in telepresence technology, and that is what Huawei has shown us at the Mobile World Congress.
After the surprise caused by the Huawei Watch comes MirrorSys, an experimental communication system whose objective is not only to reproduce an image, but all the details of the remote environment.
MirrorSys: Specifications and Capabilities
The main component of MirrorSys is an impressive 220-inch 8K screen with a 110-degree field of view. Huawei indicates that the combination of resolution and size allows matching the human eye's acuity at a distance of 2.4 meters, and that the system can present people in the remote environment at full scale, thereby increasing immersion. Added to this is a complex audio platform that applies a 22.2 configuration with latency virtually imperceptible to the human ear. Huawei proposes MirrorSys as a viable alternative for new activities, including remote tourism and virtual shopping in malls on the other side of the planet.
Bandwidth and Future Prospects
Real-time communications seem to be guaranteed with MirrorSys, but we cannot help wondering about bandwidth requirements. An 8K video signal is something chilling, and any pause or interruption can damage the experience. Still, MirrorSys is nothing more than a proof of concept, a prototype that serves as a window to envision what the communications of the future might be.
