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Design

Control This Holographic Android Via Twitter

This is the court jester of the future...

Today, London-based creative agency, Joint, shared a video on YouTube detailing a project that combined holography with social media interactivity—a "world first," according to a press release. In support of the new British TV show, Almost Human, Joint created a public installation where passers-by were encouraged to tweet commands at account @droiddothis. A holographic "android" projected on the installation's walls would, in turn, act like futuristic court jester and react to their tweets.

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The droid responded happily to a variety of commands, including "Breakdance," "Pretend you're Neo from The Matrix," and other mimetic actions, while shaking a contemptuous finger if any request got too lewd. The tweeters then received a Vine of the android's entertaining jig. We've seen many creative Pepper's Ghost projects in the past, but the call-and-response interactivity of this holograph is certainly unique—and sometimes very entertaining, if a bit domineering. The team told us that they used "live streaming and projections on a special see-through mesh" to develop the effect of a hologram. A behind-the-scenes case study will be released soon, possibly revealing more about how they created the holographic system.

So maybe this is the future of interactive entertainment—submissive, holographic androids specifically used for Yorick-type entertainment, inspiring vaguely sadistic commands from onlookers (more than one passer-by asked Joint's android to off himself) and possible quarter throwing. It's only a matter of time until people are asking holographic Tupac to rap them personalized rhymes.

See the holographic android in action below: