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The U.S. Congress recently approved a $40 million spend on new Microsoft Hololens augmented reality headsets for the U.S. military after user complaints.
So-called Integrated Visual Augmentation Systems (IVAS) are designed to pull data from various sensors and databases to give soldiers real-time updates, as well as combine an augmented reality view with night vision aids.
A leaked report initially seen by Bloomberg (opens in new tab) noted that the headsets, built on Microsoft’s HoloLens technology, caused “mission-affecting physical limitations”, which is why their adoption was low. Several users also complained about the light coming from the goggles, which would compromise the concealment of soldiers.
US Army IVAS 1.2
Congress is said to have rejected the military’s request to buy nearly 7,000 headsets, worth up to $400 million, instead presenting a budget of about 10% of these, which will be used to develop a newer version to develop, called 1.2.
A statement from the Army (opens in new tab) notes that in addition to the IVAS 1.1 improvements (which provided better low-light performance), and some software tweaks:
“IVAS 1.2 will feature a new form factor to address human systems integration, including physiological effects identified during testing, and a lower profile heads-up display with distributed counterweight for improved user interface and comfort.”
To date, the testing has taken nearly 100,000 hours of work by more than 1,000 participating soldiers.
Despite the apparent faux pas, Bloomberg reported that the military has already spent $125 million (plus the newly approved $40 million) on version 1.2. The military said it will continue to work with Microsoft as its IVAS partner and orders for the newer model will be placed “after qualification and operational testing”.
Microsoft recently unveiled a host of new features for its HoloLens 2 augmented reality headset, including the addition of its popular video conferencing service, Teams.
The update brings full support for Microsoft Teams tools and features for HoloLens 2, including screen sharing, calendar coordination, and of course, live video calls and meetings.