Hololens Microsoft and the US military take the field together
Microsoft Hololens viewers take the field with the US military . Thanks to an agreement of 22.8 billion dollars between Microsoft and the US army, the Redmond company will provide the army with 120 thousand Hololens. The first agreement between Microsoft and the military took place in 2018, but it took more than two years to kick off the optimized and highly customized final product for the military, thanks to Cloud Azure technology.
The US Army Hololens enter the Integrated Visual Augumentation System
Hololens Microsoft, the mixed reality viewer now supplied to the US military, is halfway between the virtual reality of Oculus Rift and the augmented reality of Google Glass. The viewers are part of the Integrated Visual Augumentation System program . This program aims to train American soldiers by immersing them in situations they might find themselves in live. The prototype is equipped with a map, a compass and thermal sensors that improve the night vision of the military. The sensors will improve the decision-making capabilities of the military against current and future adversaries, while the viewers will project images and information in front of the eyes of the American soldiers to better prepare them.
Hololens for the army: Microsoft employees intervene
Helping to arm an army even if only for training, however, may not please everyone. The controversy over the agreement made by the Redmond company was in fact not lacking. The news of employee protests over corporate decisions for army improvements is not new: as early as 2018, several Google employees opposed the company's agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense regarding the Marven project foresaw Mountain View cloud computing technologies to serve the Pentagon. Some Microsoft employees are asking for the suspension of the Hololens agreement : "We are not here to develop weapons and we want to have a say in how our work is used."
Hololens in constant evolution and growth
Microsoft engineers have been working on Hololens models since 2016 , and previous models have undergone major improvements in design, ergonomics and field of view. The new models allow for an even more immersive interaction with the contents. They feature a doubled viewing angle with a holographic density of 47 pixels per degree. Not only that: they also have a Time of Flight sensor which, thanks to artificial intelligence, allows to improve the analysis of the surrounding environment. The engineers have not forgotten comfort either: in this sense, there is a vapor chamber that guarantees heat dissipation , so as to always maintain a favorable temperature for the military. The new visors are also made of carbon fiber, making them very resistant to stress and light at the same time.
Augmented reality, new technologies and the military sector in turmoil
The military sector represents the springboard for new technologies . More and more armies are equipping themselves with swarms of robot drones and artificial intelligence systems. According to the Future Operating Environment 2035 report, the advantage of one army over another will be based on having such techniques and tools in place. Even the Hololens, therefore, could enjoy a qualitative leap thanks to their use for exercise.
The same companies could undergo an exponential evolution, as happened for Microsoft. The company saw its shares increase by 1.7%: $ 235.77 per share at the time of the closing of the US government deal. The eyes are therefore now focused on the agreements between the most technological companies and the armies, a key factor for bilateral evolution and growth. For developments, both positive and negative, we will have to wait, but one thing is certain: the race for technology procurement has begun !
The article Hololens Microsoft and US military take the field together comes from Tech CuE | Close-up Engineering .