The U.S Army has been testing a heavily modified version of Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 called the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) to enhance situational awareness for troops in the field. Problems such as headaches, eyestrain and nausea were reported during testing which lead Congress to reject an additional 400 million dollar order for 6900 units, halting further production of IVAS v1.0.
Microsoft however was awarded a 125 million dollar contract from the Army create an updated version featuring improved user interface with lower profile Heads-Up Display with distributed counterweight and software changes to improve reliability and reduce power draw. This new hololens hopes to overcome challenges faced by its predecessor while keeping its key features; overlaying friendly/hostile unit icons, night vision & thermal view modes,, picture-in-picture feeds from drones, simulated weapons & enemies for training exercises as well as facial recognition capability in hostage rescue scenarios. In addition this new technology would enable troops see through armoured vehicle walls they are riding on while dismounting them into battle ready situations.
In light of ethical dilemma arising around weaponizing face recognition techonology , Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella responded by saying that “we made a principled decision that we’re not going to withhold technology from institutions” . The company has also expressed their intention to release an alternative non-militarized version ar headset though currently there is no definite timeline yet for it’s usuage amongst civilians either commercially or otherwise
Read more about this here: https://uploadvr.com/congress-rejects-more-ivas-but-new-version/
