Voyager's Holographic Doctor from Star Trek Is Now a Reality

Remember the Emergency Holographic Doctor (EMH) from Star Trek: Voyager? You won’t have to wait until the 24th century to experience a holographic doctor, as modern technology is making significant strides in that direction.

In the series, the EMH, portrayed by Robert Picardo, took over as Chief Medical Officer on the USS Voyager after the original CMO was killed on the ship’s first mission. With the crew stranded in the Delta Quadrant and no way to request more personnel from Starfleet, the Doctor—initially intended for emergency use—ended up serving as the full-time medical officer.

Star Trek has inspired many real-life technological advancements that we now take for granted. The communicators from Star Trek: The Original Series paved the way for early flip phones, and the tablets in The Next Generation influenced modern mobile devices like the iPad. Even the AR Wall, which creates virtual environments for film and TV, is reminiscent of Star Trek‘s holodeck. Now, a Dutch company called Holoconnects is bringing us closer to Voyager’s vision by enabling real-time interaction with a holographic doctor.

Today’s medical holograms are a first step toward the kind of technology seen in Star Trek: Voyager. The Holobox system allows for two-way communication between a doctor and patient, with the doctor appearing as a 3D hologram in the patient’s home. While it’s not quite the EMH, this technology holds promise for those who are isolated from quality medical care.

Looking ahead, future developments in holographic technology could bring us closer to the world of Star Trek: Voyager. In the series, the Doctor is equipped with the entire Starfleet medical database and the knowledge of top physicians. Similarly, combining real-time holograms with AI trained on medical databases could eventually create a system like the EMH—though issues with AI bias and accuracy would need to be resolved first.

While we’re still far from achieving a holographic doctor like in Star Trek: Voyager, modern holograms are becoming more like the 23rd-century versions depicted in Star Trek: Discovery. In the first two seasons, Starfleet ships like the USS Discovery use holo-communicators to project real-time images of people from remote locations, making them appear as if they’re in the same room. However, these systems had their flaws and were eventually phased out.

Unlike the photonic energy-based holograms in Star Trek, today’s technology relies on images or video projected onto treated glass. While current holograms can create the illusion of a 3D person, they can’t yet perform surgeries. Still, in an emergency, a holographic doctor could provide basic medical guidance, much like the EMH in Star Trek: Voyager.

Although we’re not yet at the level of Voyager’s holographic doctors, rapid technological advancements suggest that the future could bring us closer to this sci-fi vision.

Original text by Ruetir