More than 80% of soldiers using IVAS, the mixed reality headset developed by Microsoft for the US military, suffered from nausea, eye strain and headaches in the latest field test.
While Meta has just announced an ambitious helmet for professionals, Microsoft is collaborating with the American army by adapting the HoloLens 2 glasses. Since its announcement in 2018, the project has aroused a lot of mistrust internally.
This helmet integrates several sensors, cameras and GPS. This allows soldiers to have thermal imaging, night vision, and navigation, among other features, right on a screen in front of their eyes. In addition, information is disseminated through a tactical network that allows members of a platoon to know in real time where their companions are.
First mixed results
This collaboration has given the first results on the performance of the helmet. It turns out that more than 80% of the soldiers, using IVAS, suffered from nausea, eye strain and headaches during the last field test. According to the Bloomberg article, these early results are literally a headache. A Pentagon report speaks of ” physical impairments that affected the mission », that is to say that they did not allow the normal progress of the scheduled exercises.
As Business Insider reports, the HoloLens has proven itself, except in simulated combat. This does not necessarily mean that the HoloLens has failed. However, there is a practical problem in the strictest sense of the word: the light emitted by the HoloLens makes it possible to determine the position of the wearer. The glow of the device was visible hundreds of meters away. The military also criticized the limited field of vision and the size and weight of the helmet, which restricted movement.
These problems have once again triggered alerts around the implementation of the project, beyond the progress that Microsoft has made in recent years. The acceptance of the mixed reality headset remains low among soldiers, the latter would be useless in the success of the missions. Remember that the alliance between Microsoft and the US Army for the development and implementation of IVAS will last 10 years and involve an investment of nearly $22 billion.
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