Technology as a whole can be used for many different things,
but one thing that is often considered when a new technology is born or modified from an existing
one is whether it can be used for military purposes. It's sadly part of the world that we
live in. And even something as "entertainment oriented" as Virtual Reality headsets
aren't above being acquired by the military with the purpose of helping soldiers do various things.
But what one is getting picked up to do just that? That would be the HoloLens 2, and they're already
in the process of making it happen. Allow us to show you how the Microsoft HoloLens 2
is The Future of Military Warfare! 7. The Deal
Many of the world’s leading tech companies are vying to develop what will become the
next mainstream computing platform. While there’s disagreement on whether the platform will be AR,
VR or some form of mixed reality, there is no doubt that one of the
companies leading the charge is Microsoft. Since the first Hololens launched in 2016 with
the Development Edition, Microsoft has been hard at work building out its Mixed Reality platform.
That same year, Microsoft also announced its Mixed Reality VR headsets for Windows.
As some may remember, 2016 was a peak hype year for VR. The momentum behind
the technology allowed Microsoft to establish a comprehensive understanding of the needs of AR and
VR, and develop APIs for developers accordingly. Last week, Microsoft announced the closure of a
$22 billion deal with the Army for AR headsets, software and services. A huge deal no matter how
you look at it. But, how are we supposed to look at it, and what it can do for the Army?
Because at first, and based on what most people think of as VR, you might not understand
why they wanted this deal. 6. Making The Deal Happen
This announcement comes as a follow-up to a smaller $480 million deal Microsoft won
in 2018, which forged the two entities’ relationship and kickstarted their co-development.
Together, they developed a semi-custom version of the Hololens specific to the Army’s needs
which Microsoft calls the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS).
This initial $480 million deal was also significant in that it was the nail in the
coffin for companies like ODG, which had been banking on winning such a deal. Historically,
ODG’s biggest customer was the US Government, so naturally, when that contract went to Microsoft,
the company quickly folded. Interestingly, Microsoft had been rumored to have paid $150
million for ODG patents well in advance of winning both deals. While Microsoft does
have some competitors in the AR space, none were going to top the tech giant in getting this done
and getting to move forward with the Army on this. 5. The Terms Of The Deal
Microsoft has agreed to supply the US Army with 120,000 semi-custom versions of the Hololens,
built for rugged use and equipped with the appropriate sensors and location accuracy for
military use. This deal has a 5-year term with an additional five optional years. If the deal
extends to ten years, it will amount to $21.9 billion. If you do the math with the Hololens’
current price of $3,500, that only tallies up to $420 million. Obviously, this highly customized
version of the Hololens won't be sold to the Army for anywhere near as low as $3,500, even if the
Army paid $35K per headset, it would only add up to $4.2 billion out of the $22 billion deal. That
means that the bulk of this deal’s value is in services and Azure computing, which makes sense
given that those make up Microsoft’s entire play around Hololens and its Mixed Reality platform.
Everything at Microsoft under the tenure of Satya Nadella operates entirely to answer one question:
does it drive Azure utilization and scale? If you look at Microsoft under Satya Nadella, it has been
wildly successful and profitable embracing this premise. I don’t think it should surprise anybody
that Microsoft’s Hololens and Mixed Reality teams live within the Microsoft Cloud and AI Group.
In March, Microsoft also made a significant announcement with its Mesh platform and service,
which further indicated Microsoft’s plans for XR. Mesh combines offerings such as Microsoft’s Azure
Spatial Anchors and Remote Rendering into a single solution to enable organizations like the Army
to use XR technologies in the field. 4. Building Up The HoloLens
Microsoft’s goal with Hololens, Mixed Reality and all forms of AR and VR is to provide a truly
agnostic platform. To that end, the company has openly embraced and encouraged open-source APIs
like OpenXR, which will be critical for developers when they develop apps for
multiple types of headsets. Yes, Microsoft does have the Hololens 2 and is a headset manufacturer.
Everything Microsoft has done thus far has illustrates the company’s desire to
be the platform provider of choice for enterprise and business XR applications.
One of the most critical components of offering enterprise and business XR cloud services is
experience. Microsoft has a long track record of offering enterprise-grade security to the US
Government and other highly secure enterprises. Companies like Facebook and Magic Leap have XR
headsets, and they have platforms that are relatively mature at this point. Still, they
do not have the security and cloud infrastructure to truly compete with what Microsoft has built.
While Amazon has the security and cloud experience to potentially offer something competitive,
Amazon Sumerian does not yet have the kind of cohesion that Microsoft’s platform does.
Furthermore, it operates more like a game engine than a platform, and Amazon doesn’t
have any XR headsets in the market, yet. But all this technical stuff aside,
you have to ask... 3. What Does The Army Get Out Of This Deal?
An IVAS prototype that a CNBC reporter tried out in 2019 displayed a map and a compass and
had thermal imaging to reveal people in the dark. The system could also show the aim for a weapon.
“The IVAS headset, based on HoloLens and augmented by Microsoft Azure cloud services,
delivers a platform that will keep soldiers safer and make them more effective,” Alex Kipman,
a technical fellow at Microsoft and the person who introduced the HoloLens in 2015, wrote in a blog
post. “The program delivers enhanced situational awareness, enabling information sharing and
decision-making in a variety of scenarios.” The headset enables soldiers to fight,
rehearse and train in one system, the Army said in a statement.
So all in all, it's meant to help the soldiers of the Army get better trained potentially,
while also being more effective in the field, something the Army is always striving for.
However, while this is a big deal for Microsoft, not everyone on the HoloLens team was happy
about this. 2. Protests
Some Microsoft employees asked the company to hold off on submitting for the cloud contract,
and similarly, a group of employees called on Microsoft to cancel the HoloLens contract. “We did
not sign up to develop weapons, and we demand a say in how our work is used,” the employees wrote
in an open letter regarding the HoloLens contract. Days later, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella defended
the Army augmented reality project, telling CNN that “we made a principled decision
that we’re not going to withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in
democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy.” The Army, meanwhile, has suggested the augmented
reality technology could help soldiers target enemies and prevent the killing of civilians.
Of course, we can't fully know that to be the truth until it actually happens out in the field.
And you have to sympathize with those who are protesting this because their complaints are
valid. They were trying to make the next level of VR technology, and now it's being used in a
way they didn't intend or even consider. All so Microsoft could get a big contract deal.
That has to hurt. 1. Virtual Warfare?
Of course, now the question is that if the HoloLens setup works as it's intended to,
doesn't that mean that we're one step closer to warfare being more digital than ever before?
With soldiers using all sorts of technology from behind safe lines to control things like vehicles
or even robots just to go and get the enemy? That is a possibility for sure. Just how quickly
it gets to that point is up for debate. But the fact that the Army (and likely others)
are even considering bringing VR headsets into the military fold shows that they're at least up
for the idea of using this tech to benefit them. So what do you think? What do you think of this
look at the HoloLens 2 and how it's something that is being used to help train soldiers in the Army?
Do you think that this will legitimately be something that can help soldiers in the field?
Or is this something that seems like a good idea, but won't exactly work out when
practiced? Let us know in the comments below, and we'll see you next time on the channel!