This is pretty trippy. (Pun fully intended.)
Delta Air Lines will integrate a pretty amazing feature, starting with a beta test in Detroit later this year.
It’s called a “Parallel Reality” board. You and I could stand next to each other and look at a Parallel Reality board — but see two completely different images.
Delta place these boards in airports to give passengers unique, personalized information about their trip. (Departure gate, boarding time, closest Sky Club, etc.) Plus, it can be presented in a preferred language. So if you’re traveling in Japan, for example, but speak only English, Delta will display your information in English. Whereas the person a couple of feet away from you might be a Spanish speaker — and Delta will show her info in Spanish.
Pretty cool, right?
Check out this video demo Delta created and presented at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show.
“For now this works only after you’ve scanned your boarding pass,” Mashable’s Sasha Lekach explains, “but it could work with a facial recognition system in the future to bring up any associated flight information. According to Fast Company, once you scan your pass, the tech’s camera recognizes you as a “blob” that can be tracked as you pass by the original board and others in the airport.”
Several tech bloggers tested out the Parallel Reality board. Watch their experiences:
The @delta parallel reality board blows my mind. Everyone sees their own individual information on the same screen. #CES2020 pic.twitter.com/WIy45YS2fa
— Sasha Lekach (@sashajol) January 7, 2020
Misapplied Sciences is demonstrating its #ParallelReality tech at @delta’s #CES2020 booth this week. Will launch for first time ever at Detroit airport this summer #paxEx #CES @MisAppSci pic.twitter.com/CNRszV1dhM
— APEX (@theAPEXassoc) January 8, 2020
.@Delta PARALLEL REALITY concept for the future of airports at #CES2020 Very cool 👍🏽 pic.twitter.com/Nv8imsC4dh
— Safwan AhmedMia (@SuperSaf) January 8, 2020
Wanna Try It Out Yourself?
Delta will test out the new product at DTW in mid-2020. The airline explains how it’ll work:
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After moving through security at Detroit, travelers will see a Parallel Reality display near the Delta Sky Club (Concourse A, McNamara Terminal).
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Delta customers departing from Detroit who want to participate can scan their boarding pass on the boarding pass scanner and select the language they want to use.
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Leveraging multi-view pixels and proprietary technology, this innovation enables each customer to see personalized, in-language messages – tailored just to them – as they walk past the digital screen.
- For the trial, tailored messages may include personalized wayfinding, flight information or updates, boarding time, the nearest Delta Sky Club or even upgrade/standby status.
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This experience will always be opt-in, and customer information is not stored.
Should We Be Concerned?
Delta IT isn’t necessarily the airline’s pride and joy.
Clint Henderson at TPG wrote about how just this week, several people received notifications they promoted Diamond Medallion — when, in fact, they weren’t.
So I am a tiny bit concerned that someone sensitive-ish information might be displayed to the wrong person.
What Do You Think?
Do you find this new innovation exciting? Or does it do nothing for you? Tell us in the below Comments section!
— Chris
Feature image courtesy of Delta News Hub via Flickr
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seems a bit contrived imo, and the screens are difficult to read. you know how lenticular photos always look a tad faded and out of focus? that’s what this looks like. neat project i guess, but i’ll stick to my flight apps.
I am concerned with any type of display that shows my personal info that could be read by others. How do they keep the english speaking person next/behind you from reading your info. Why not just make all that happen in the app where you can see it on a small screen you can protect the visibility of the screen. The personal tracking bag tags…. AWESOME!!!!!!!! They should put them on the small bags that belong in the seat in front of you and track the people who violate the policy consistently by putting them up above. Then work to retrain them. But the bags thing is really cool, I would even buy those but don’t tell Delta, as a Diamond I would hope we would get them for free!
Finally, this old technology gets used somewhere. The idea itself is good but it would be nice for a bit more privacy than showing everyone with the same viewing angle my details.
Anyway, Mercedes uses this technology for years already, I guess it’s called Split View? Maybe different, but that’s one of the best uses I can imagine for this technology. Even better than Delta’s approach.