Although the enterprise use cases for the Microsoft HoloLens 2 continue to impress, the arts community just can't stay away from the best augmented reality headset on the market. The latest example comes from a new exhibit that highlights one of Earth's most powerful but vulnerable sea creatures: orca whales. • Don't Miss: Microsoft's HoloLens Morphs Paris Museum Model of Mont-Saint-Michel into Masterpiece of AR The exhibit, which is called "Critical Distance," is being hosted by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The team behind the new immersive... more ..read more

As NASA nears the launch of another mission to the Moon in 2024, and a subsequent mission to Mars in the 2030s, augmented reality is increasingly being woven into the normal space operations to test various capabilities. The latest example comes via the current International Space Station (ISS) crew, several of whom are using the Microsoft HoloLens to carry out vital procedures. • Don't Miss: Microsoft's Live HoloLens 2 Apollo 11 Demo Didn't Take Flight, but You Can See It Thanks to Unreal Engine's Video Currently, crew members are engaged in the T2 Augmented Reality (T2AR) project, which ..read more

It's all fun and games until the technology is actually put into use and you realize augmented reality is now part of Death Star. That's what some AR insiders may be thinking once they get a look at the latest modified HoloLens 2 images released by the US Army. • Don't Miss: Hands-On with the HoloLens 2, the New Best Augmented Reality Experience You Can Get The newest images come from a battery of tests being conducted by the US Army Futures Command and Project Manager Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS). Looking at some of these new images, the modded HoloLens 2 gives soldiers a ..read more

When we got our first look at US Army soldiers testing Microsoft's modified HoloLens 2 last year, it still looked very much like the commercial edition, with some additional sensors attached. Today, the prototype Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), produced under an initial $480 million contract, looks much more like battle-ready technology, with a much larger visor and sensors bundled in a rugged-looking, beige enclosure. Don't Miss: US Military Shows Off Modified HoloLens 2 Augmented Reality System Now that the US Army has extended a five-year, $21 billion contract (with a... mor ..read more

Since its launch two years ago, the HoloLens 2 has been the best AR headset available, and nothing has come close to touching it since. So, at first blush, new features arriving for the device via an update to the Windows Holographic operating system might seem a bit...tame. Don't Miss: 10 Remote Collaboration Apps for HoloLens, Magic Leap, & Mobile That Can Substitute for in-Person Meetings The top change arriving via version 21H1 is the transition to the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge as the default browser. Yawn? Not so fast. This means better support for WebXR experiences, which is ..read more

One of the oldest electronic musical instruments is the theremin, a synthesizer that generates sound based on hand gestures, as featured in the classic "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys. Now, indie developer Lucas Rizzotto has taken the concept of the theremin and translated it to an augmented reality synthesizer app for HoloLens 2 that can turn people into musical instruments. Don't Miss: Control a Synthesizer with the HoloLens to Make Music in Mixed Reality Yes, technically, people are already musical instruments, or at least those gifted with singing talent or possessing the ability to ..read more

The enterprise applications powering the adoption of the HoloLens 2 are only just ramping up as developers continue to work with the still relatively new hardware. But one tech giant, namely Intel, is showing off how it's already harnessing the features of the HoloLens 2 to transform its internal operations. • Don't Miss: Hands-On with the HoloLens 2, the New Best Augmented Reality Experience You Can Get In a new video recorded on the factory floor of Intel's semiconductor fabrication facility in Ireland (its European headquarters), the company gives us a rare behind-the-scenes tour that ..read more

After years of testing and modifications, the US Army is moving forward with its customized version of HoloLens 2 from Microsoft. In separate announcements published on Wednesday, the US Army authorized moving from rapid prototyping to production and rapid field testing. Don't Miss: Here's Your First Look at the US Army's Combat-Ready HoloLens 2 in Action The Army officially awarded the contract to Microsoft on March 26, according to a statement. A Microsoft spokesperson revealed that the deal is worth more than $21 billion over ten years. Microsoft beat out Magic Leap for the initial... mor ..read more

When Microsoft unveiled Mesh a couple of weeks ago, the move revealed a major part of Microsoft's next steps toward dominating the augmented reality space, particularly with regard to enterprise customers. But aside from the general details contained in the announcement, what really got some insiders excited was the demo video (see below) accompanying the launch of Mesh. It looked like something out of Iron Man's holographic lab, but backed by very real sensor and display technology. • Don't Miss: Microsoft Unveils Mesh Platform for Collaborative HoloLens Apps, Previews Pokemon GO Proof of ..read more

Ever since the US Army awarded Microsoft's HoloLens a $480 million contract, the battle for enterprise augmented reality has heated up in earnest. Now, the Redmond, Washington tech giant is looking to strengthen its hold on the burgeoning AR enterprise space by introducing the HoloLens 2 Industrial Edition. • Don't Miss: Next Reality's 30 People to Watch in Augmented Reality for 2020 The new version of the HoloLens 2 is specifically designed to meet the needs of pharmaceutical and semiconductor clients by adhering to cleanroom (ISO 14644-1 Class 5-8) and particle emissions (UL Class I Div 2 ..read more