Microsoft has been developing the HoloLens combat goggles so that soldiers will have a way to train and have access to information through augmented reality. However, the devices are known to have side effects like nausea. Microsoft has since improved the model to make for a more comfortable use.
New and Improved HoloLens
Despite numerous setbacks, Microsoft is dedicated to improving its combat goggles to help the US military. Other than the hardware itself, the software giant has also upgraded its Integrated Visual Augmentation System or IVAS.
The IVAS 1.2 model will be testing 20 prototypes this August, but the devices will be delivered to the army as early as July. The hardware modifications make the device "slimmer, lighter, and more balanced" than the previous goggles, as mentioned in Engadget.
The changes will address the issues that the testers have experienced before such as eye strain, nausea, and headaches. The hardware changes also reflect the complaints about the device having a narrow field of view and a glow that might interfere with the solder's ability to stay hidden.
Microsoft has been given $40 million to improve the device in several aspects, and that was after Congress blocked the order of the military goggles due to its issues. This means that there is a lot of pressure on the tech giant right now to get the HoloLens goggles right.
Reports say that if the HoloLens were to be used in the field, the Army could spend as much as $21.9 billion in ten years to acquire 121,000 units of the IVAS goggles. The device would assist the soldiers in several scenarios, both in training and in actual combat.
HoloLens in Action
Using the AR goggles, soldiers will be able to train and rehearse in a more immersive scene through augmented reality, which will help them prepare for the circumstances that they will face on the battlefield. Master Sgt. Marc Krugh says that "inevitable, IVAS is going to save lives."
The goggles feature mixed-reality technology including thermal imagery, sensors, GPS technology, and night vision which would greatly improve a soldier's situational awareness and provide critical information to carry out missions, according to Microsoft.
IVAS has the ability to provide personnel location information so soldiers will know where their platoon members are. Thermal technology will also assist with visibility in the event that the field is filled with smoke, which usually impairs a soldier's line of sight.
It also has the technology to allow soldiers to see through the goggles what their rifle scopes are pointing at. Which gives them the opportunity to also look at their surroundings. With GPS technology, the Army will also be able to tell where they are at all times.
Alex Kipman is the Microsoft Technical Fellow who created HoloLens as well as its precursor. Sadly, the lead developer has been taken off the project after allegations of misconduct, which could greatly affect the development of the military ar goggles further.
