BrightCom CEO Envisions Telepresence to Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

Orange County, CA, March 24, 2011 --(PR.com)-- For many, Gene Rodenberry's Star Trek and the subsequent series and movies, provided the chance to go where no man has gone before, into the depths of outer space. In a recent interview, Bob McCandless, CEO of telepresence and video conferencing manufacturer BrightCom, said it was the show that not only brought early visions of video technology and other innovations such as the cell phone, but also the first depiction of telepresence through the virtual reality platforms of the holodeck.

“The first time I personally experienced the early beginnings of what we know as telepresence today, where people are placed in a shared environment different from where they were physically, was in Star Trek's holodecks,” stated Mr. McCandless.

“There were some science fictions books in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the work of Jarin Lanier in virtual reality that created similar concepts, but to me Star Trek's concept is the first that stands out in my mind.”

In the world of Star Trek, holodecks were virtual reality facilities located on ships or docks and were depicted as an enclosed room in which people enter and were automatically placed into a different locations and/or time periods. Much like telepresence suites of today, the technology behind the holodeck was purposed to recreate a life-like environment through the senses, however the holodeck recreated objects and force fields from holographic images as well as sounds and smells.

“Obviously today we are not quite at the level of Star Trek's direction,” continued Mr. McCandless, referring to the Lumina Telepresence L37. “Unlike the holodeck, we have focused on creating a shared space that allows people from different locations to feel that they are in the same room, and we are still talking to three monitors with a variety of cameras, and speakers for gaze correction and spacial audio.”

Star Trek leveraged holodecks for recreational activities, training or recreating real world environments for analysis. It created the environment as well as the objects and living beings that interacted with the characters. Today, advancements in virtual reality make Mr. McCandless believe we are not far from Star Trek's vision.

“With today's progressing innovative technology like 3D virtual environment integration, and holographic video we could be well on our way to creating a similar experience.”

Mr. McCandless is featured in a continuing video series entitled, Telepresence and Video Conferencing: Past, Present and Future. Stay tuned for the third video interview discussing video's introduction to the Internet as well as the first business and consumer video technology products.

For more information about telepresence and video conferencing, please contact BrightCom at 877-483-9737 or visit BrightCom online at www.brightcom.com.

About BrightCom – BrightCom video and telepresence conferencing solutions aid businesses in gaining more value with real-time collaboration and natural communication. With unique integrated data and video conferencing solutions, BrightCom offers a wide range of options with Lumina Telepresence and ClearView Video Conferencing to connect people and content from home offices, mobile devices, desktops or conference rooms. To learn more about BrightCom’s unique telepresence and video conferencing with in-depth collaboration features but without a costly investment on bandwidth upgrades, call 877-483-9737 or visit www.BrightCom.com.

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