The Redmond company managed to correct some of the defects in its first prototype intended for the armed forces. Enough, in any case, to win a rather juicy contract.
Microsoft is not finished with augmented reality. If we no longer hear much about the HoloLens despite Apple’s arrival in this segment, that has not stopped the company from continuing to work on it. She has also found a partner of choice with deep pockets to develop her product: the American army. It is, in fact, seeking to equip its soldiers with AR headsets, and intends to devote a lot of time and money to it.
A convincing new version
The collaboration between Microsoft and the US military, which led to an initial order of 5,000 headsets last year, has not been without its challenges. Indeed, called IVAS, the version of the HoloLens tested by the soldiers, has major flaws. Too bulky, the devices used also had the unfortunate tendency to cause nausea and eye fatigue, in addition to reducing the wearers’ field of vision too much. Which would be far from ideal during a mission, and the firm would have done well to take inspiration from the competition.
However, this will not be necessary. Indeed, the American army is keen on this project, which would allow it to provide key information to soldiers on the ground. Without further ado, new prototypes were requested from Microsoft, which has just released version 1.2 of its IVAS. The twenty devices tested by two squads of soldiers would be more comfortable to wear and would no longer cause nausea.
According to David Patterson, an Army spokesman, the helmets also ” Featured improvements in reliability, low-light performance and design “. Enough to allow Microsoft to land a new contract, with the primary objective of increasing production in the event of new full-scale tests in 2025.
A significant financial windfall
And, it is very likely that the company will get started very quickly. The American armed forces have a colossal budget, which is obviously reflected in the sums allocated to its numerous projects. IVAS are no exception and the US Army plans to spend up to $21.9 billion to develop them and put them on the heads of its soldiers.
Politicians still need to follow. For the moment, the American Congress has not agreed to release the $400 million requested by the army to place an initial order for 6,900 functional helmets. Instead, Microsoft will have a budget of $40 million to improve the system, and another $125 million to continue development. Enough to make employees affected by the different waves of layoffs of the tech giant cringe.
Source : The Verge
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