Stroomz Strijp Pharmacy in Eindhoven was struggling for enough staff until they found the ultimate candidate: she’s always got a smile on her face, she doesn’t take breaks, and she speaks five languages.
She’s also a hologram.
That’s right, their new ‘deepfake’ computer-generated assistant looks and sounds real but isn’t really there.
Stroomz Strijp reopens next month with their new digital pharmacist ready for patients’ questions and concerns, Omroep Brabant reports.
All the answers
The helpful hologram has already perfected her Dutch, English, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic and can be programmed in many different languages.
And if you’ve got a cold and you’re struggling to hear — no problem, Google Translate provides subtitles throughout the conversation.
READ MORE | Pharmacies in the Netherlands: 8 questions answered
“We looked at what many conversations are about. We have worked out the most common conversations and they are now conducted with you by the digital assistant from a box,” Pim Poels, manager of Stroomz pharmacies, tells Omroep Brabant.
But what about privacy?
Don’t worry, you don’t have to tell the whole waiting room about your, ahem, private issues.
There is a separate consultation room for sensitive matters, which can be opened remotely and contains another screen ready for the conversation to continue.
READ MORE | The first ever ‘wedding’ between a hologram and a human will take place in Rotterdam this year
Sounding more like an Apple showroom than a pharmacy?
Well, there is the option to speak to a REAL HUMAN BEING if the digital assistant can’t help. That’ll be via a screen, too, though.
And the final piece of the tech puzzle? Following the hologram consultation, your medication will be waiting for you in a prescription vending machine (refrigerated, if necessary). 🤖
What do you think about this new hologram service? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.