Microsoft HoloLens is “the first self-contained computer that enables you to engage with digital content and interact with holograms in the world around you.” By combining both virtual and augmented reality, HoloLens allows you to overlay 3D holograms onto any real-world backdrop.
With its built-in sensors and a full suite of mixed reality apps, 3D holograms can be controlled with a gaze, gesture, or voice command. From moving the cursor by tilting your head, to opening apps with the close of a hand, HoloLens offers an entirely new way to interact with the digital world.
If navigating through a sea of office documents proves to be tedious, just simply speak to Cortana – your digital assistant – and she will locate the earnings report prior to your presentation.
Designed as an enterprise solution, Microsoft HoloLens uses mixed reality as a vehicle for collaboration with colleagues, clients, vendors, etc. For example, your Skype contacts can seamlessly overlay right above the objects on your desk or in the middle of the office floor. Imagine being able to fine-tune a set of floor plans without physically going on the job site. Or adjusting the safety features on a new consumer technology product without needing to physically handle the model. Whether it’s altering a prototype or seeing plans from every possible angle, working in 3D affords so many opportunities to work smarter, faster, and with greater precision.
As Technical Fellow Alex Kipan stated, “People, not devices, are mobile. We are ready for technology to move beyond devices, beyond screens and pixels, and beyond today’s digital borders.” As the first fully self-contained holographic computer, HoloLens captures information about the environment you’re in. With its Sensor Fusion technology, Microsoft HoloLens can see, map, and understand the physical space around you.
Creating a fully immersive experience depends just as much on auditory stimulation as it does visual. HoloLens’ Spatial Sound technology is designed for the optimal acoustic experience. By synthesizing sound from a specific location and engineering the audio around the anatomy of the human ear, you can easily detect holograms from anywhere.
From the classrooms at Case Western Reserve where students explore 3D holograms of the human body to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where NASA scientists explore hologram images of Mars, HoloLens’ practical application is growing alongside its technological innovation.
There are two options for those interested in taking up mixed reality. Compatible with Windows 10, developers can start working on companion apps by purchasing the HoloLens suite for $3,000. If your intention is to transform your company into the epicenter for 3D hologram design innovation, Microsoft’s commercial suite goes for $5,000.
