There is something we missed in our reporting yesterday of Microsoft's Windows 10 briefing. The product wasn't actually directly related to Windows 10, so please forgive us for our oversight. Once you see this tech, (if you haven't already) you may have reason to be irritated with us for missing it.
After discussing Windows 10, Microsoft also announced an experimental new product which they have been working on for over 5 years. It's called HoloLens, and it's basically everything Google Glass wants to be and much, much more. In fact, HoloLens may just be the next "disruptive" tech device that shakes up the entire electronics industry. While those are obviously bold claims, if Microsoft can pull off what they have demonstrated in the videos we included with this story, then they could potentially change the way we use computers forever.
HoloLens basically merges several different computing interface concepts into one. It mixes elements from Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Gesture-Based Controls, and Voice Based Commands into one cohesive computing device that will let us create, share, work, play and collaborate in ways never possible before.
The gist of it is that the HoloLens goggles overlays holograms into our field of vision, floating amidst our everyday world, and able to be interacted with and manipulated with our voice and gestures. The goggles create the holograms in our field of vision, and the built-in Kinect-like sensors allow us to manipulate them in real-time. It's basically like what we see in the Iron Man movies when Tony Stark is building or tweaking his Iron Man suits. The only difference is that the real thing will require these cool looking goggles.
What's really amazing is how far along they are with this technology. While we are unlikely to see a consumer retail version of HoloLens available by Christmas time this year, Microsoft is planning on sharing the tech with NASA as early as this summer. The HoloLens will allow scientists who are separated by distance to collaborate with projects in new and exciting ways based upon images and data sent from the Mars Rover. This is due to the built-in Skype functionality.
The video above may be your typical PR "pie-in-the-sky" representation of the HoloLens concept, but according to folks who have demoed it, the device is not too far from this is exact functionality. In fact, a writer from Wired magazine was given a personal demo of the HoloLens, and she came away very impressed.
Here's her writeup: Project HoloLens Our Exclusive Hands-On With Microsoft s Holographic Goggles WIRED
Here's Microsoft's landing page for more info: Microsoft HoloLens Official Site
It's awesome to see the Sci-Fi concept of holograms finally coming to fruition. Perhaps the folks in the office at Microsoft are walking around singing, "The future's so bright, I gotta wear HoloLens!" What do you think of Microsoft's vision of the future?
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