Microsoft announces HoloLens with a touch of 3D printing
Today, Microsoft held a conference to announce a series of updates about the new Windows 10 operating system, but all eyes were, quite literally, on the HoloLens, which, in a way, represent the company’s response to Google Glass and Facebook’s Oculus Rift. However, from another perspective, they are much more, as evidenced by the potential applications in 3D printing showcased in the introductory video.
The HoloLens are similar to Google Glass in that they use augmented reality, but they differ because they are also a holographic device. Similarly, they are comparable to the Oculus Rift in providing an immersive experience, but they stand apart by merging this experience with the user’s surrounding reality.
History shows that innovation happens when multiple technological trends converge, and the HoloLens seem to do just that. Moreover, they are not just a pair of glasses but a fully wearable computer with a CPU and GPU. The team behind them humbly describes them as the “computer of the future,” and the best part is that they are expected to become available around the same time as Windows 10.
On this blog, we have often discussed AR systems that offer a more intuitive approach to 3D modeling, enabling the creation of objects for 3D printing. This is already happening in the R&D departments of the most advanced companies; even Elon Musk’s SpaceX has revealed the use of virtual and augmented reality systems for prototyping rocket components before sending them to a 3D printer for sintering.
While Microsoft is presenting the HoloLens primarily as a gaming device—showing a holographic Minecraft world in a living room—gaming is likely to be just a small part of its potential. The same thing happened with Kinect: launched for gaming, it eventually found widespread use in other areas, particularly for creating 3D-printable models. Judging from the video (especially from 1:15 to 1:20), a similar trajectory seems likely for the HoloLens.
In fact, Microsoft has supported consumer 3D printing from the beginning, integrating its support into the Windows 8 operating system and selling MakerBot 3D printers in its stores. It should come as no surprise that the company sees 3D printing as a way to make anything designed and visualized in the virtual world a reality.
It’s also evident that discussing a holographic system today would be incomplete without mentioning 3D printing—a significant victory for the industry in raising public awareness. Now, Microsoft will have to compete with HP and its “blended reality” ecosystem.
Other applications will range from education to medicine, engineering, and architectural design. The HoloLens will likely cause less nausea than the Oculus Rift and have more practical uses than Google Glass. It seems that Microsoft has outpaced its competitors this time—at least until Apple announces the headset it has been developing since acquiring PrimeSense, the creators of Kinect, last year.
