HoloLens is the first augmented reality device, which allows
you to see, hear, and interact with holograms within an
environment such as a living room or an office space. Although similar to virtual reality devices,
the HoloLens overlays interactive holograms over the real world, while virtual
reality devices seal off the user to teleport them to other worlds. USA Today’s article, “We test HoloLens, VRs
Augmented Cousin,” capitalizes on the unique features of the groundbreaking
device, which could potentially replace many of the objects
we use to interact with our digital lives.
HoloLens
“sits on your head like a 1.2-pound crown. Inside the clear plastic visor
are projectors for the holograms, while on the outside sits a camera as well as
sensors that determine your spacial position in a given room”(Cava). One of the biggest advantages of HoloLens is
that it is not tethered through a computer.
This characteristic differentiates it from its competitors and makes it
more appealing to customers because the device does not have a cable, therefore
creating freedom of movement for the user.
In addition, HoloLens has a unique user interface, which include
air-touch, glance, and voice. The voice
interface allows the user to connect to Microsoft's virtual assistant, Cortana
who can tell the user anything from a weather update to accessing a webpage on
a hologram browser.
HoloLens,
which recently hit developers with shipments starting today (March 30, 2016),
is “similar to when Steve Jobs unveiled the first app-lite iPhone: Impressive,
but of limited use” as stated by writer, Marco della Cava. In particular, the size and weight of the
headset prove to be a potential negative that competitors will likely adapt and
improve. On the flip side, “Microsoft is
banking on some of the 5,000 developers that have converged on Build to create
applications that may one day cause AR goggles to be as ubiquitous as
smartphones”(Cava). In fact, augmented reality devices are expected to take a
75% slice of 2020's $120 billion AR/VR pie, according to industry
advisers Digi-Capital(Cava).
The HoloLens’ unique
ability to experience interactive holograms over the real world could have an
extreme effect on the way we interact with and understand the world. Hololens will help to educate people and
broaden their horizons with respect to travel, geography and other virtual
experiences. The introduction of the
HoloLens also marks the beginning of a new industry (Augmented Reality
Devices), which will generate money, knowledge, and additional virtual devices
and applications.
Overall, the HoloLens
has an extremely positive effect on users and their connection with the digital
world. Although it is likely that there
will be many more of its kind, the HoloLens augmented reality marks a great success
and advancement for Microsoft and rest of the technology world.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/03/30/we-test-hololens-vrs-augmented-cousin/82440070/.
By: Emma Falk
Hi Emma, I really enjoyed your blog. I had not heard of the HoloLens until reading this an I find it to be a really innovative piece of technology. Although I agree with your point that "HoloLens will help to educate people and broaden their horizons with respect to travel, geography, and other virtual experiences" I do have to disagree in some areas. I personally do not think a hologram will be a virtual experience for say a trip to Europe. For me, I am a very hand on learner and like to experience things for myself in person. Even if this technology is so advanced that it draws the allusion to make you feel like you are actually in a foreign country I would rather experience it for myself in person. I also feel like this technology will take away from human interaction as well. Based on the developments with this technology so far I feel that eventually it will be able to provide endless information to people eliminating the need for in class teachers or professors. Pretty soon, there will be ways for students to wear the HoloLens and their teacher will be a hologram that will teach them without having to even be in the same room.
ReplyDeleteWe are nearing the end of our academic journey as we will soon be graduating college and some of us may be moving on to graduate school but others may not so this is the end of the road for our schooling. With that being said, the implementation of HoloLens as a teaching method will not necessarily pertain to us. I know that I would never be able to learn by use of this method but since younger generations are growing up in the technological age it may be beneficial for them to use this method. You even see toddlers today learning their numbers and the alphabet via tablets. I have to say that the technology that Microsoft has produced has room for potential, I just do not think that this piece of equipment would be beneficial to me.
This is an interesting blog on a piece of technology that I have never heard of before. In my opinion, the Hololens technology would be best suited for the work place. In particular, I feel that the Hololens would be best suited for virtual meetings where members of one company in different locations can interact with one another in a similar office setting “face to face.” While similar technology already exists, Hololens could perhaps enhance this capability. While I’m unsure if the Hololen’s are linkable, if the technology were able to connect to other Hololen’s users and display the same hologram to all of them at the same time, this technology could be very effective professionally. With that being said, I think that the Hololen’s have limited use recreationally. It is great that users can explore various areas without traveling to them and potentially save themselves from expose to diseases, war, etc. However, no technology will be able to fully imitate wonders such as the ocean, forest, and so forth. Also, I don’t think this technology will be useful in the classroom. It would likely require teachers and students to be trained on how to use this technology effectively in an academic setting. In addition to the cost of the technology itself, cost of training, maintaining and replacement and technically difficulties makes this technology too risky for the classroom. I feel this product is best suited for niche markets, such as serious gamers or maybe land developers.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the HoloLens is a very interesting piece of technology because it seems to offer a very different kind of virtual reality compared to whats currently prepared to hit the market soon. Although this technology has a disadvantage over products like the oculus it offers the ability to combine our physical world with virtual objects. Thus it has the advantage to be used for many more practical applications like video conferencing and design. The main issue I see with the HoloLens is that it has almost a novelty to it. Of course you can do gaming with it but theres only so many games that you can create that use your physical environment. I think that if this product is marketed correctly and given to software developers early it can definitely succeed. It's also easier to market this product because it seems to offer many unique applications and many more that haven't been thought of yet. The oculus and products alike only seem to be aimed at simulating our senses while the HoloLens is aimed at extending them. I also feel that removing all the cables is a big bonus although battery and latency worries me. Im also concerned about the screen door effect that the glass might have. Not being able to focus on each individual object is potentially dangerous to our eye sight in the long term. Otherwise I do feel that there is a customer for this product but it will take time to adopt it.
ReplyDeleteI think that the impact that augmented reality can have on society will be very beneficial in the near future. I think your blog post is very informative in summarizing the uses of HoloLens device, and I was very interested in the use of Cortana as a automated assistant for this device, much like Siri is used on the iPhone. After learning about this type of technology in class, I'd be interested to see how major companies use devices like the HoloLens to improve marketing strategies, possibly allowing the consumers to experience their products more realistically before they purchase them. The only aspect of this technology that I am weary about is the weight of the product. Although only 1.2 pounds, this may be to heavy and uncomfortable for some consumers. However, as the technology advances, I imagine that the designs will become smaller and lighter. Ultimately I think augmented reality is a very helpful technology, and will eventually become very common for consumers to use.
ReplyDeleteAugmented reality is a very interesting technological advancement that I think is often overlooked by developers and consumers. While I think this technology has potential in the commercial world, I think people benefit more from experiencing things in real life. The most useful aspect of this technology in my opinion would be for education. If students were taught about what they were learning with augmented reality devices, I think they would learn more efficiently. Before reading your post, I had not thought much about augmented reality but I can definitely see the potential positives and negatives of developing this technology further. I would be interested to see how virtual reality affects our perceptions of reality in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Emma,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to start by saying this is a very interesting topic to write about. I think that the concept of augmented reality is very interesting and I think that it a technological advancement that is going to increase substantially in the next five years. I also think that you did a very good job of summarizing the major points of the article. Additionally, I think that the HoloLens is a technology that I think is going to be very hard to market to the general consumer because it will be expensive. Augmented reality is the next step in technology and it holds countless opportunities for every type of business and market. But, I think that the technology also has implication where it could be potentially dangerous to the operator. This is something that the product testers are going to have to make sure of before a mass amount of consumers start buying augmented reality devices. In-conclusion, I would like to say that this was a very interesting topic to write about and I think it makes for a appropriate blog post.
This article presents some very interesting and groundbreaking technology. The HoloLens is similar to virtual reality devices, which have gained popularity in the past year. While these products are not yet available or affordable for the general public, they may soon be as common as smartphones in our daily lives. The use of the Hololens has an advantage over virtual reality devices, because it shows images over real live images, rather than just make the user feel like they are in a new reality. While virtual reality devices seem to be more useful for recreational use, the Hololens could become a large part of society and a tool that is used every day. Using the Hololens, users no longer need to rely on smart devices like phones or tablets and can instead see the virtual reality of their phones in real time and in real locations. This makes life simpler for users and exemplifies a new era of technology that we are entering. The main drawback of this device is that it is only usable if the user is wearing a headset. Besides the issue of weight and comfortableness, the Hololens headset will take time to be adapted into society. At this moment, any person who is walking around in public wearing this device will suffer from criticism and judgement due to the oddity of the headset. This will discourage people from using the Hololens out of the comfort and privacy of their own home. For people to grow comfortable using this device in public, it will have to become more discreet or generally accepted in society. Another issue with this device is the argument that there is a line of crossing virtual reality and reality. At some point electronics can take away from the experience of life rather than add to it. If people become attached to seeing the world through the Hololens and with virtual reality, there may be a serious issue of not experiencing life in actual reality. Never the less, this is an interesting product and is just the start of this kind of technology.
ReplyDeleteThe Hololens discussed in this post is another advancement in technology and it takes technology to a whole other level. The fact that we can see holograms in the real world can be life changing. This development can make completing a variety of different tasks much easier for people. The fact that you can use touch and your voice to convey commands is really interesting to me. I'm really curious to see if this becomes as popular as the iPhone. I really don't see many concerns with this device other than someone being about to hack information from it and people not being able to know how to properly us it since it is a new product. If the Hololens is secure, has clearly laid out directions on how to use it, and is put on the market soon, I'm interested to see how popular it is. This could be the first step in the next level of modern technology.
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