Microsoft Wins $480mn Contract to Supply HoloLens to the US Army
The advanced AR systems may be used in future combat missions.
Microsoft and the US Army recently joined forces to sign a contract worth $480 million that can prove to be mutually beneficial for both the parties. This contract is primarily for the HoloLens AR headsets that are a patent of Microsoft.
According to the contract, Microsoft will supply the US Army with advanced AR systems to be used in combat missions and training. In the same vein, this agreement also benefits the American multination immensely as it is a significant endorsement of the company’s AR ambitions.
Microsoft is currently gearing up to get HoloLens ready to be used in battle and is expected to supply nearly 100,000 headsets to the US army. The terms of the deal also entail the US Army receiving customized AR headsets from the American conglomerate in tune with its HoloLens technology. The fundamental purpose behind this contract is the enhancement of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) Program of the US Army. With the help of these tools, the United States Army intends to enhance the close-combat capabilities of its soldiers in subterranean and urban environments.
As mentioned by the Army in its tender documents, “Soldier lethality will be vastly improved through cognitive training and advanced sensors, enabling squads to be first to detect, decide, and engage. Accelerated development of these capabilities is necessary to recover and maintain overmatch.”
Although the headsets mimic the technology of HoloLens, they will be slightly different from the regular HoloLens AR headsets. Microsoft is currently working on customizing these headsets uniquely to be used by the US military. These headsets will have wireless connectivity so that soldiers can sync it with their wearables. Moreover, these headsets will also come with night vision capabilities and will showcase real-time metrics on the performance on the performance of soldiers like providing data of their readiness, concussions, and their heart rates.
The US Army is also going to test these headsets to analyze if they are appropriate for their missions. AR sure seems to be growing by leaps and bounds and these military-grade variants can make all the difference not just in training soldiers in the US Army but also in the battlefield.
