LOS ANGELES: More than half a century after he materialised on far-flung planets as Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, William Shatner has beamed into a distant land in a demonstration of hologram technology.
The “Star Trek” actor was a guest speaker at an advertising conference in Sydney, Australia, where his lifelike image appeared in a box like a giant action figure — despite his being in a studio in California.
“You’re 7,000 miles (11,265 kilometres) away and I’m here in Los Angeles,” he told the audience. “And you can hear every word I’m saying. It’s like I’m there; I’m in the phone booth.”
The tech, produced by Los Angeles-based Proto, displays a high definition two-dimensional image that uses shadows to create a volumetric illusion of three dimensions.
Coupled with the human-sized display — the screen takes up the bulk of a 2.2-metre (8-foot)…
