Virtual reality differs from augmented reality in that instead of replacing vision with a completely new environment it only adds graphics to the current user's field of view. Microsoft, the tech giant, has decided to sell HoloLens augmented reality glasses to the US military. These glasses allow users to see holograms placed on their actual environment.
A contract was approved between the Army and the company in the form of a 10-year deal valued at $ 21.9 billion, equivalent to £ 15.9 billion. The contract included manufacturing a large quantity (more than 120,000) of eyeglasses in the United States. After announcing the deal, Microsoft shares rose to 3% in a short time.
HoloLens is priced at $ 3,500 each, which Microsoft sells mainly to companies, for the purpose of integrating it with dedicated software applications. Users can see displays or holograms, which can add more information to what they are actually seeing.
Users of this technology include architecture firms, hospitals, universities, automobile manufacturers and the US space agency Nasa.
Microsoft has over the past two years worked with the US military on the prototyping phase of IVAS with the Integrated Optical Augmentation System, a military-grade version of the Hololens.
On the basis of this, this project could differ from the HoloLens currently available on the market. Microsoft also emphasized its endeavor to keep soldiers safe while making them more effective than ever.
In 2018, after Microsoft announced a $ 480 million IVAS contract, at least 94 workers petitioned the company to cancel the deal and stop developing "all weapon technology."
Comments
Post a Comment