A prominent means of communication in Black Panther is the holographic capabilities displayed by the Kimoyo beads. In a few scenes, the Kimoyo beads are shown "ringing" and then displaying a live hologram of the person on the other end of the "call." This form of communication does not seem to be limited to those of higher status within Wakanda, as highlighted in an interview conducted with the Black Panther comic book artist, Brian Stelfreeze. Stelfreeze mentions that "younger people may have a bracelet full of beads, while the elders who are retired and maybe not doing as much, would only have a few beads on their bracelet" because, aside from communication, the beads on this bracelet serve many purposes [1]. Similar to apps on a smartphone, each Kimoyo bead has a different use. One may be used to access the Wakandan internet, one may be used for a health profile, another for controlling cars remotely. Communication has been coupled with a variety of functions, like a tool belt that you wear around your wrist.

    The implementation of holographic communication is not as far out as one may think. Researchers at Microsoft have created a technology called "holoportation" which allows "allows high quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed, and transmitted anywhere in the world in real-time" [2]. In the video linked below, a man is shown communicating with his daughter who is in another room. Her 3D image is being displayed in front of him in real-time through the use of VR goggles. While this technology is not readily available to the average consumer, video-communication tools such as Skype, Apple's FaceTime, and Facebook Messenger have been used to promote face-to-face communication. Holographic communication is a similar means of connecting with people that will most likely be as widespread and adopted by society as it is in Wakanda.

 

References

1. Kelly, Autumn. "Black Panther: Wakandan Kimoyo Beads and What They Mean." Jun. 15, 2017. https://www.player.one/black-panther-kimoyo-beads-wakanda-what-are-comics-trailer-94113 Accessed on Apr. 4, 2019.

2. i3D Projects, Microsoft. "holoportation: virtual 3D teleportation in real-time (Microsoft Research)." Mar. 25, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=101&v=7d59O6cfaM0 Accessed on Apr. 4, 2019.