Microsoft says these improved IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System) headsets that use its HoloLens tech should be more comfortable for US Army soldiers to wear in the field.
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Microsoft recently emphasized that it is fully committed to the HoloLens 2 and mixed reality (MR) space, despite recent events such as the laying off of the entire MRTK team suggesting otherwise.
The U.S. government has denied the Army's request to purchase almost 7,000 HoloLens headsets for $400 million following some poor on-field test results including nausea and headaches for soldiers.
Senior Microsoft executive Alex Kipman has exited the company following allegations of misconduct. Kipman led numerous projects at Microsoft including Kinect and, most recently, HoloLens and Mesh.
An internal memo belonging to Microsoft about its HoloLens deal with the U.S. Army has leaked and the employees at Microsoft do not sound too optimistic about how things have been going.
Microsoft is working with the U.S. Army on its Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS). 120,000 headsets with HoloLens tech will be produced with on-field installation starting in September.
Following the $480 million augmented reality headset contract with the United States Army in 2018, Microsoft today landed another similar contract with the U.S. military worth $21.9 billion.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has defended the company's decision to work with the U.S. military, saying that " it's really about being a responsible corporate citizen in a democracy".
50 employees have penned a letter urging Microsoft to cancel its HoloLens deal with the U.S. military, and to be "mindful about who we're empowering and what we're empowering them to do".
