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posted by martyb on Wednesday December 12 2018, @07:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the fun-with-elves dept.

Mall of America debuts helpful holographic elf for the holidays

How would you keep a shopping mall lively in an era when more and more people are buying their holiday gifts online? The Mall of America has a one-word answer: holograms. It's partnering with mixed reality firm VNTANA on what's billed as the "first-ever" holographic shopping concierge. Visit the mega-mall's Holiday Cottage throughout the season and you can speak to Ellie the elf (no, really, that's her name) for help tracking down top gifts. Ask about how to find an Xbox One for the kids, for instance, and Ellie will point you to the Microsoft Store.

The hologram isn't mind-blowing by itself (it's more like those Pepper's Ghost musician holograms than a true 3D image), but it's helped by a VNTANA platform that can tie a chatbot to a digital model. And no, you won't have to shout over the mall traffic -- there's a handheld microphone to take your voice requests.


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  • (Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:41PM

    by wonkey_monkey (279) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:41PM (#773659) Homepage

    you can speak to Ellie the elf (no, really, that's her name)

    Why would we not believe that?

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