AI
When Seconds Matter: Holographic Medical AI on Mars
Mars round-trip communication takes 25 to 44 minutes. A blackout means silence. In the demo, an astronaut is hit and bleeding. HoloConnect AI activates offline at the edge, guiding wound care with direct pressure. The AI works locally, no cloud, no connection. The speaker emphasized that seconds matter when help is 200 million kilometers away. The hologram provides real-time presence, not a flickering rectangle.
Space-Grade Communications and NASA Awards
Aexa built two-way holographic teleportation to the International Space Station. The first one-way transmission sent NASA surgeon Dr. J. Smith, a former Air Force general, to a target moving at 17,500 miles per hour. The two-way return brought an astronaut back to Earth with real latency and packet loss. NASA awarded the company the Technology of the Year award and an Exceptional Software Award. The system uses end-to-end encryption and allow-listed routes.
HoloConnect AI: Local AI That Sees You
HoloConnect AI runs on Nvidia edge computers. It has depth eye contact and hand guidance. It sees the user and understands context. Pointing at a model aircraft, the AI described it as “a model of an aircraft, likely a military plane.” The AI speaks in any voice, including the user’s. No cloud required. The system works on 2,800 devices: phones, tablets, and VR/AR headsets. Bandwidth is 5 megabits per second or below.
Security by Design: Signed Models and Coordinated Disclosure
The system uses signed models and SBOMs. Logs stay on device. Cloud is blocked by default. Between sessions, the device wipes to a known good image. Aexa provides a sandbox and SDK for security testing. They run a coordinated disclosure program and publish fixes. At DEF CON, the speaker invited attendees to hack the app via a QR code and submit issues for credit. “We ship the fix and we’re going to credit you for that.”
Q&A
How does a user connect to HoloConnect AI? Locally via an Nvidia edge computer; just plug it and download a packet. ▶ 10:36
Can the hologram be overlaid on a robot? Yes, the goal is to project a real human hologram over a robot like Optimus, so people see a familiar face and trust the interaction. ▶ 11:31
What other sectors use this technology? Medical field, a hotel chain in Austin for hospitality, a cybersecurity firm in Germany for security guidance, and an airport in Dubai for cultural dos and don’ts. ▶ 12:21
Notable Quotes
“When help is 200 million km away, you can’t wait.” Dr. Fernando De La Peña Llaca · ▶ 1:47
“You’re not talking to a speaker. You’re meeting someone.” Dr. Fernando De La Peña Llaca · ▶ 6:57
“We wipe to a known good image space between sessions.” Dr. Fernando De La Peña Llaca · ▶ 7:42
“Don’t hack the first two or the four one. Just hack the third one.” Dr. Fernando De La Peña Llaca · ▶ 9:21
Key Takeaways
- Offline holographic AI can guide medical procedures with no cloud dependency.
- The system runs on 5 Mbps bandwidth and survives blocked or jammed networks.
- Aexa invites security researchers to hack the app and receive credit for fixes.
About the Speaker(s)
Dr. Fernando De La Peña Llaca reverse-engineered the impossible: beaming a real-time hologram into orbit using consumer devices and custom AI. As CEO of Aexa Aerospace, he led the first off-planet holoportation and is now bringing that tech back to Earth to disrupt how we interact with machines. NASA award-winner, space technologist, and long-time builder, Dr. De La Peña fuses aerospace-grade security with street-smart AI. His current mission is to build a hologram smart enough to help and locked down enough not to kill. DEF CON is the perfect place to stress-test that logic.