We’re shaking it up a bit on this week’s #TechTuesdays and having a little fun by looking at a near-future concept: Augmented reality. Specifically, the Microsoft HoloLens.
Whether you realize it or not, we’ve had some base-level augmented reality applications on smartphones and mobile games devices for some time now, but the kind of augmented reality we’re talking about with Microsoft HoloLens is a different beast. You may not know what “augmented reality” refers to at the time of this reading, but suffice it to say, if you’ve ever fancied yourself as Tom Cruise in Minority Report or Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, then have we got some news for you.
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality is not the same as virtual reality, although the two are understandably easily conflated. Virtual reality, as you likely know, immerses you entirely in a fantasy world. Conversely, to understand augmented reality, let’s look at the operative word. “Augment” means “make something greater; add to.” Appropriately, augmented reality then is a technology that introduces virtual (in this case, holographic) elements that add to and modify the existing reality around you. A recent example would be Google Glass.
Microsoft prefers to refer to augmented reality with their Microsoft HoloLens as “mixed reality,” which is probably an even more straightforward manner of understanding the technology. The real world is simply being mixed with virtual elements.
What is Microsoft HoloLens?
Microsoft HoloLens is Microsoft’s augmented/mixed reality technology solution that is in development and was recently shown again at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2015. It’s a new attempt at an augmented reality experience that goes beyond what Google Glass attempts and works with the upcoming Windows 10 operating system.
Microsoft describes the device as a “see-through holographic computer.” Think of it as a larger, more powerful Google Glass. It’s a headset (although, blessedly, not a full on virtual reality helmet) that wraps around your noggin and has lenses that cover your eyes. These lenses allow you to view high-definition holograms, or augmented reality elements, that seamlessly integrate and interact with the existing physical world around you. It is an untethered device, meaning there are no wires involved. You can move freely while using HoloLens.
Each hologram that is created for use with HoloLens is actually a Windows 10 application. Additionally, all Windows 10 universal apps can be tweaked to work as HoloLens holograms, which is a pretty big deal.
Why Should You Care?
Here’s the “big deal.” Augmented reality and, specifically, Microsoft HoloLens provide new opportunities for all of us to work, play, and communicate. Instead of just using mouse clicks or touch screens, holograms can be “pinned” to areas that surround you. A video player, for example, can be “pinned” to a wall of your room and act as a resizable television. You can even say “Follow Me” and your “television” follows along with you, no matter where you roam in your house. And because every Windows 10 app can become a HoloLens hologram, there’s a ton developers can do to introduce new use cases.
Still, you’re right to think that most of the current use cases are “domestic” and entertainment/information related, and that actual business productivity augmented reality functions and benefits aren’t really here yet. And they’re not. Still, the HoloLens gives a glimpse of a not-so-distant future where we’ll be able to interact with productivity applications as if they were physical objects, no matter where we are in the office. There’s reason to believe Iron Man-type experiences are relatively close at hand. It won’t be all games and gimmicks for long.
Wrap-Up
The SDK that allows outside developers to make apps for the HoloLens will be available “soon.” In the interim, feel free to get a taste of Microsoft’s future vision by checking out this HoloLens demo video. More information is available here.
The main takeaway until our next #TechTuesday? The future is becoming the present more quickly than ever. It’s an exciting time to be alive, isn’t it?
