MECHANICAL ENGINEERING | DECEMBER 2018 | P.33 bioengineering WEARABLE Holographic Computer Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality headset is a breakthrough in human-computer interaction. STORY BY AGAM SHAH • ILLUSTRATION BY ZINA SAUNDERS he Kinect camera, which headset, Thyssenkrupp is equipping Microsoft released in 2010, elevator service technicians with brought unprecedented HoloLens to visualize and identify T levels of gesture and voice problems ahead of a job, and have interaction to video games. “When remote, hands-free access to technical we created Kinect for Xbox 360, and expert information when onsite. we aimed to build a device capable The company says that has helped of recognizing and understanding improve service times. Ford is also people so that computers could using HoloLens, enabling their design operate in ways that are more and engineering teams to visualize human,” said Alex Kipman, technical that projects the graphics onto a full-scale models in 3-D. They’ve fellow at Microsoft, who helped lens. As a user walks around a room converted processes that used to invent the camera. or turns his head, the position or take weeks down to days, and more Microsoft wanted to build on orientation of the graphical image is easily and securely share ideas across the success of the Kinect’s sensor altered so that it appears to the user the company and consider more technology by parlaying it into a as occupying a consistent location concepts than before. And NASA has radically new device—a mixed reality in space. provided HoloLens to astronauts on headset that would project computer- HoloLens has emerged as the go- the International Space Station as a generated images seemingly into real to device for engineers to integrate holographic instruction manual and a space. The company turned again mixed reality into projects. Through tool for interactive remote support. to Kipman, who led a team through its initial demonstrations, Microsoft Any transformative technology years of research and development showed the headset could be used or device encounters challenges to to produce the HoloLens, which to train medical students in surgery, mainstream adoption in its early Microsoft began selling in 2016. operate robots, or to visualize, design lifetime, such as cost, size, comfort, Mixed Reality Headset “It’s a device that understands and inspect complex structures. and technical barriers. These people and environments, takes HoloLens is now improving challenges often translate to initial INNOVATOR: Microsoft; Alex Kipman, techni- input in the form of gaze, gestures, productivity and efficiency for first- skepticism. cal fellow, inventor of HoloLens. and voice, and provides output in the line workers. “We’ve seen this all before with form of 3-D holograms and immersive “We understood that we are the very first computers, the internet, INNOVATION: A mixed reality headset that spatial sound,” Kipman said. on the cusp of a transition in the and mobile phones,” Kipman said. introduces a new form of computing by The wearable device—which is way humans interact with digital “Mixed reality computing is nascent, blending computer-generated images into a entirely self-contained and requires information. Instead of peering into but we’ve made these investments user’s real-world view. no cords or cables—combines a screens to access the digital world, we because we believe it is the future of “holographic computing” processing can now bring together the physical computing.” ME IMPACT: The HoloLens headset is bringing system for determining where 3-D and digital worlds, giving us entirely graphics should appear in the user’s new capabilities,” Kipman said. AGAM SHAH is associate editor at Mechanical mixed reality to mainstream engineering. ALEX KIPMAN field of vision with a display system As an example of current use of the Engineering magazine..