Telepresence
by Annie Stein
Welcome to Solaris, traveller! Let me get you up to speed.
Solaris is a soft science fiction webcomic set in our own universe, kind of. Learn more by continuing to read, or click here to be taken to the comic.
Q:Where am I?
You're still in the system known as Sol. Except this time each planet is habitable and developed its own life. The people are humanoid, mostly.
Q:I heard something about a comic?
Oh yes! The main comic is still in development, but you can read the first few pages of Little Blue if you click here.
by Annie Stein
Built on top of the framework provided by the Interlace, telepresence technologies are technologies that allow an individual to appear to be present in a location they are not currently in. This is often done through holographic projections, video conferencing, and telerobotics.
Remote Projection
Remote projection hails the beginning of a new era of telepresence. Remote Personality Caches/Displays enables real time communication across the system, with newer models capable of full locomotion and recieving sensory input. Remote projection is not accessible to the public. The technology is extremely expensive, and requires a full staff of technicians and medical personel. The technology is currently only available to government officials like diplomats and military command, with a few exceptions made for major investors. However, it is theorized that remote projection could become publically available within the next decade.Examples of Telepresence
Video is the most commonly used communication. It allows all parties to see and communicate with eachother. Holographs allow for a 3D visual of the individual. Holographs are used for preformances and broadcasts. Telerobotics are remote-controlled robots, often used in situations that would be dangerous for humanoids. Remote Projection allow an individual to project their conciousness across the Sol Sytem and temporarily host it in a Remote Personality Cache/Display, enabling real time communication.Speed of Communication
The lack of instant communication is one of the great barriers of a solar society. Where planetside wireless transmissions are near instant, but with the vast distances of space interplanetary wireless transmissions can take minutes or even several hours to arrive. This is not a great barrier for broadcasting, but in two-way communication transmission time quickly adds up. In situtations where a single message may take only ten minutes, asking for clarification would be at least a twenty minute wait to send the request and recieve the reply. Several mechanisms for faster-than-light communications have been proposed and studied, including but not limited to quantum nonlocality, quantum tunnelling, and theoretical superliminal particles. While valuable research, they have all been dismissed as dead ends for the purposes of FTL interplanetary communication.
Related Vehicles
This article is a stub . It will be expanded upon later.
Aster Blackwell
It's so interesting to read about a sci fi world that doesn't have FTL! There are so many unique barriers that create very interesting technologies
Annie Stein
Thank you! I find it really fascinating too, plus communication delays are an excellent tool for drama.