Microsoft has signed a major contract with the US Army: They plan to deliver 120,000 “Augmented Reality” headsets, modified versions of the HoloLens. This will allow Microsoft to earn up to 21.9 billion US dollars, but employees are protesting against the collaboration.
This is the contract:
- The contract between Microsoft and the US military lasts for up to 10 years, during which Microsoft will deliver 120,000 headsets of the brand “IVAS” (Integrated Visual Augmentation System) to the military
- The IVAS headset is a variation of the HoloLens headset and provides soldiers with additional information embedded in an overlay over their field of view (HUD). This tactical information is meant to help soldiers identify enemies, assess the combat situation correctly, and make better decisions
- The value of the contract could amount to as much as 21.9 billion US dollars, according to Microsoft
This is the concept: The regular HoloLens headset costs around $3,500. It allows for overlaying holograms onto the real world. People can interact with the system using gestures and voice. The IVAS headset is a customized version of this headset and is additionally supported by Microsoft’s cloud technology, Azure.
Soldiers are now expected to use this one system from Microsoft to train with and ultimately to fight. The army hopes that through Augmented Reality, soldiers can now conduct “realistic scenarios” before actually encountering enemies.
When they encounter “current and future adversaries”, the system is supposed to ensure that US soldiers have the advantage.
In a video, the US Army emphasizes that this time they approached product development differently to tailor the headset to the actual needs of soldiers:
Employees protested against the deal years ago
This is the protest: Some employees of Microsoft had already urged management in 2018 not to finalize this contract and not to even apply for the US military’s contract. In an open letter, they wrote:
“We did not join Microsoft to develop weapons, and we demand a say in how our work is used.”
From an open letter by Microsoft employees from 2018
This is Microsoft’s response: Management had already stated back then that they had made the “fundamental decision” not to withhold technology from those institutions that have chosen to protect their freedom.
The army stated at that time that the “Augmented Reality” technology could help soldiers identify their enemies as targets, thus avoiding the killing of civilians.
This is the impact of the deal: As CNBC reports, Microsoft’s stock rose by 1.7% after the announcement of the news.
It is said that the deal shows that Microsoft can generate significant revenue with futuristic products that involve years of work.
In gaming, there has been a wait for the breakthrough of “Virtual Reality” headsets for several years. The technology of “Augmented Reality” is particularly familiar from the hit game Pokémon GO.
This is what Pokémon GO could look like with AR glasses – Would that be something for you?
