The Microsoft Build 2016 Conference marks the official launch of the HoloLens. Developer editions have already shipped and today’s demonstration proves Microsoft’s augmented reality device has a bright future.
Microsoft’s Alex Kipman and Dr. Pamela Davis, Dean of Case Western Reserve University, took to the stage to show audience members how the HoloLens can be used in medical fields for remote learning. Microsoft debuted an app that is able to project holographic human anatomy, in this case, the brain. A poorly rendered avatar of today’s instructor, Mike, appeared next to the brightly colored brain hologram and walked the audience through a lesson remotely from Cleveland. The presentation was a bit underwhelming compared to the virtual ‘HoloPortation’ demonstration early this week, but the future looks promising.
Three space-related features were also demoed at Build 2016. The first is an app called Galaxy Explorer. The source code is available for developers. The app enables users to view holograms of planets and galaxies and use gestures to move them around. NASA also demonstrated OnSight and Destination Mars, which allows users to scope out the red planet through the eyes of a NASA scientist.
The $3,000 price tag means the vast majority of us won’t be able to test out the HoloLens ourselves, but Microsoft's take on augmented reality gets cooler by the day. Be sure to check out iDigitalTimes previous coverage of the HoloLens to watch the Microsoft team virtually ‘HoloPort’ and interact with each other’s holograms.
