This weekend Val and I were flying to Detroit. On the way home I got to check out the parallel reality screens that Delta has installed into the McNamara terminal at DTW. I love the McNamara terminal as I’ve reviewed and discussed in the past. The addition of the Delta Parallel Reality screens is certainly cool.
While I do think they are a little gimmicky at this point, I can absolutely see the power of Delta Parallel Reality Screens as a tool in the future. This installation here at DTW was added in the last week of June 2022, so when I got to check it out, it had been installed for less than a week.
July 2023 Update: I had the chance to check out the Delta Parallel Reality screens at DTW again after a year of their installation. People are still pretty excited to check it out. It still works great, even with several people all looking at the parallel reality screen at the same time. When I first used the Delta Parallel Reality I assumed it would be a short term installation, but one year later they are still in operation and I would recommend anyone to go check it out. Sure, it’s a gimmick, but that’s ok, it’s fun.
What Is Parallel Reality
Parallel Reality is simple, it’s two or more people experiencing something different at the same time in the same place. For example, with the Delta Parallel Reality, multiple people can look at the same information screen, and see completely different things.
In an airport, imagine walking through the terminal, and all of the flight information boards are tailored to your personal needs. Giving you gate information, where the lounge is, how far the walk is, or where to find your baggage claim.
How Does Delta Parallel Reality Work
The Delta implementation of Parallel Reality works using proprietary screens from a company called Misapplied Science. Theses screens allow different viewing angles to show different things. So by tracking the position of the viewer, they can display different things to different people. I think the name Misapplied Science is awesome, reminds me of back in my Engineering School days.
Detroit Parallel Reality Installation Review
After passing through security there is an instructional board and the forming of a queue area. The instructions on the screen tell you to scan your boarding pass or if you have biometrics enabled in the Delta app, you can use facial recognition.
We walked up to the podium and the friendly attendant explained what we needed.
There are again instructions on how to use the Parallel Reality experience.
Val and I each scanned our boarding passes and then walked into the viewing area outlined onto the floor.
Here’s what I saw after scanning my boarding pass. The photo isn’t great, but I assure you the image was very good. Not amazing like on a regular display, but very good.
At the exact same time, 5 feet to my left, Val saw this on the board. So I’d say the technology absolutely works.
The very excited attendant then had us walk around in the viewing area and within the whole area we could see the screen with our respective information. When Val and I got very close to each other, we could not see each others information. I’m sure if we smooshed our faces together we could get some overlap, but for regular use, it was great.
The attendant then had me walk out of the viewing area, when I walked back in, my information was no longer viewable. Because Val had not left, she could still see her information. Very cool in my book.
Delta Parallel Reality Final Thoughts
Is it a gimmick? Maybe, but I can absolutely see it being useful in the future. The technology is young but I think it’s amazing that Delta is thinking outside the box. I do have a little bit of a privacy concern, but I guess that’s just something I’ll need to live with. Facial recognition is here to stay.
Delta has rolled out a lot of different new technologies here at DTW. I would guess that’s because Delta controls the whole terminal and doesn’t share it with anyone except their close partners. This was where Delta first introduced the biometric boarding so more tech makes sense here.
I don’t usually review small things like this Parallel Reality, but this whole trip was Delta CRJ900s and those are something I’ve covered several times. So I figured this was interesting and different. This was a fun experience and I think there are lots of applications for this technology within the travel space.
Real reality is the airport and airlines are pollutting our lakes with wing deicer instead of wasting money on hocus pocus clean up your act.i am sure the enviorment.is more inportant