At the MWC 2019 event, Microsoft has introduced the
HoloLens 2 that is enhanced with many advancements across the board. This
includes a visual display system, making holograms even more vibrant and
realistic. The company has doubled down the field of view in HoloLens 2 while
maintaining the industry-leading holographic density of 47 pixels per degree of
sight.
The HoloLens 2 contains a new display system that
enables it to achieve these significant advances in performance at low power.
By taking advantage of the new time-of-flight depth sensor, combined with
built-in AI and semantic understanding, HoloLens 2 enables direct manipulation
of holograms with the same instinctual interactions you would use with physical
objects in the real world.
HoloLens 2 contains eye-tracking sensors that make
interacting with holograms even more natural. You can log in with Windows Hello
through iris recognition. It features light carbon-fiber material and a new
mechanism for donning the device without readjusting. Microsoft has improved
the thermal management with new vapor chamber technology and accounted for the
wide physiological variability in the size and shape of human heads.
The new dial-in fit system makes it comfortable to
wear for hours on end, and you can keep your glasses on because HoloLens 2
adapts to you by sliding right over them. Lastly, the Time-to-value is
accelerated by Microsoft mixed reality applications like Dynamics 365 Remote
Assist, Dynamics 365 Layout and the new Dynamics 365 Guides applications.
Microsoft also introduced the Azure Kinect DK which
is a developer kit that combines the AI sensors in a single device. At its core
is the time-of-flight depth sensor we developed for HoloLens 2, high-def RGB
camera and a 7-microphone circular array that will enable development of
advanced computer vision and speech solutions with Azure.
Dynamics 365 Guides is a new mixed reality app that
empowers employees to learn by doing. Guides enhance learning with step-by-step
instructions that guide employees to the tools and parts they need and how to
use them in real work situations. In addition to the experience of using Guides
on HoloLens, a Guides PC app makes it easy to create interactive content,
attach photos and videos, import 3D models and customize training to turn
institutional knowledge into a repeatable learning tool.
This application will help minimize downtime and
increase efficiency for mission-critical equipment and processes and becomes
the third Dynamics 365 application that will work on both the previous
generation of HoloLens and the new HoloLens 2. Dynamics 365 Guides is available
in preview starting today.
The company also announced two new Azure mixed
reality services. These services are designed to help every developer and every
business build cross-platform, contextual and enterprise-grade mixed reality
applications. Azure Spatial Anchors enables businesses and developers to create
mixed reality apps that map, designate and recall precise points of interest
that are accessible across HoloLens, iOS, and Android devices. These precise
points of interest enable a range of scenarios, from shared mixed reality
experiences to wayfinding across connected places. With HoloLens 2, the company
is also introducing the Microsoft HoloLens Customization Program to enable
customers and partners to customize HoloLens 2 to fit their environmental
needs.
The first to take advantage of the HoloLens
Customization Program is Trimble, which last year announced Trimble Connect for
HoloLens along with a new hard hat solution that improves the utility of mixed
reality for practical field applications. It has announced the Trimble XR10
with Microsoft HoloLens 2, a new wearable hard hat device that enables workers
in safety-controlled environments to access holographic information on the
worksite.
HoloLens 2 will be available this year at a price of US$ 3,500. However, bundles including Dynamics 365 Remote
Assist start at US$ 125/month. HoloLens 2 will be initially
available in the United States, Japan, China, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom,
Ireland, France, Australia, and New Zealand. Customers can preorder HoloLens 2
starting today from Microsoft website. The Azure Kinect DK is available for
preorder today at US$ 399 and it will be initially available
in the U.S. and China.
