This piece of technology has intrigued me for a while so I composed a short sweet explanation as to what it is, how it works and why it’ll benefit us! c:
The Microsoft Hololens is “the first fully self-contained, holographic computer” that is available to wear on your head in the form of an AR headset.
The technology began its journey around 9 years ago and provides a new level of immersion, using your hands and voice to interact with the various objects. Of course this is not only an incredible start for the art and game community, but for architecture and designers alike. The Hololens is unlocking the screen of computers to make it more accessible to more people.
The Hololens works by using multiple cameras (5+) accelerometers and gyroscopes within the headset that can be used to create almost accurate meshing of the world around you, allowing the holograms to come into our world. Sound travels through the “Unity Engine” where it can pin audio to specific objects then as people walk through that area, the sound changes, getting louder, softer and changing direction. Dependent on your proximity to the object determines the sound that plays through the speakers, not headphones which is crucial for augmented reality.
In the way of this benefiting architectures, you can view the model and adjust how you like and when it comes to installing something, instead of using tape measures, the holograms could produce a 3D image for where you can see if it will fit or not and whether it will be in a good location.
Thousands of dollars are spent on prototypes everyday and that in the end is wasteful and costly to manufactures and companies that are just starting out.
These days 3D printing is all the rage, so what if you could create a holographic image of a motorbike very large so you can access minute details and then shrink it down to a portable size? Not only is this a much better option but also holograms allow for last minute adjustments to projects.
Another place where this technology would benefit would be in education systems. Students could always have their calendar on them, or see when they get emails from important people such as teachers or clients. They could show people how long till buses arrive and if it’ll be late or not. Younger students could see and interact with a miniature galaxy right in their hand, or learn about extinct animals, watching them crawl along the desk while displaying facts.
As for the art community, what if when you placed the headset on, your streets could be coloured in amazing art and holograms from the community, no longer would there have to be spray painted art and tags everywhere. It’s cleaner and more accessible to the modern street artist.
But the possibilities don’t end there, this only just scratches the top layer. What if you walked into a museum and it was empty, but you put on the AR set and you saw a giant skeleton T-Rex walking around? What if children could witness what only movies could portray or you could view paintings that aren’t even in the same country.
The Microsoft Hololens is a step in a very new and interesting direction and I can’t wait to see where it takes us next.
Mieotare 