Microsoft’s HoloLens Wins Big: Delivers 120,000 Glasses to US Army for $22 Billion

This is the first time that AR HoloLens has been applied in practice on such a large scale.

Microsoft has just won a contract with the US Army to equip HoloLens wearables. The contract will last for about 10 years, with Microsoft supplying 120,000 augmented reality wearables worth $21.88 billion, CNBC reports.

The software giant has worked closely with the US Army since 2018, and soldiers have been testing IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System) wearables for the past two years. These devices will combine night vision sensors, heat sensors and body sensors into a head-worn monitor.

The US Army statement said:The system will also leverage augmented reality and machine learning to deliver a lifelike mixed reality environment where the Close Combat Force can practice before taking on an enemy. real.”

This past February, the force showed off a new, more durable wearable that will allow armored vehicle operators to see how through walls. An earlier version of this device was criticized for poor sensor and GPS performance, but now you can see how that design has been changed.

IVAS Wearables First Edition

In 2018, Microsoft won a $479 million contract to supply the US Army with a variant of the HoloLens. The move was later met with backlash from some Microsoft employees, forcing CEO Satya Nadella to speak up. However, then the US Department of Defense and Microsoft continued to work together on this new device.

HoloLens hasn’t seen much hardware change since the second version of this mixed reality device launched in 2019. Microsoft recently improved the wearable’s software, in addition to improvements. good gesture control. In addition, the company also added Microsoft Mesh, the company’s visualization software, to support “holoportation” – a feature that allows users to see themselves in virtual space.

New generation IVAS – a modified version of HoloLens

Along with Google Glass and Snapchat Spectacles, HoloLens made the first wave of augmented reality wearables and the like. They gradually move from devices for end users to other applications in the commercial, technological and military sectors.

Meanwhile, a second wave is forming. The report says Facebook has mobilized nearly one-fifth of its staff to research VR and augmented reality. Many rumors suggest that Apple is close to launching a compact VR and AR wearable, and Samsung, Snap, Qualcomm and many others are also starting to release their own prototypes.

Check out The Verge