Google Glass created waves in 2012 when it was introduced as a 'wearable digital glass' presenting all your information with photographic and internet capabilities.
Then came in the Oculus and Samsung and Sony VR devices, possessing enough capability to alter the realms of the gaming world by putting you right into the imaginary world. I have personally tried the Oculus Rift, and certainly, you'll get submerged into that gaming dimension.
So what's Microsoft upto by introducing the HoloLens? A device which is a headset-glass, just like the others. What makes it different? And why is it called the groundbreaking device in human computing?
It was introduced on 21st January 2015 and is created by the group of engineers who created the Xbox Kinect motion sensing system.
First of all, HoloLens is a transparent device, unlike others. So your surroundings are very much visible.
It presents HIGH DEFINITION, 3D HOLOGRAMS which can be interacted with by means of gestures, actions, voice commands by means of many sensors attached to the device.
Microsoft intends to couple this technology with the upcoming Windows 10 to create a Human-Computer Interface never seen before.
From gaming, simulations to performing simple tasks, HoloLens will make everything intensely interactive. It does not present a completely different screen in front of the user's eyes like Oculus and Samsung, but allows you to perform realistic tasks using virtual help. Examples of tasks include: Virtual assistance by means of holograms in fitting a light switch, building 3D models on any projects. Some games have also been tested, such as Microsoft's Minecraft.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has collaborated with Microsoft to make scientific researches using the images from the Mars Rover.
It has a energy-efficient depth camera with a 120°×120° field of view.[7] Other capabilities provided by the sensors include head-tracking, video capture, and sound capture. In addition to a high-end Intel SoC, CPU and GPU, HoloLens features a Holographic Processing Unit (HPU), a coprocessor which integrates data from the various sensors, and handles tasks such as spatial mapping, gesture recognition, and voice and speech recognition.
It will be launched into the market(hopefully with an affordable price range) once Windows 10 is released.
Holograms will integrate with the physical space you have and create a bigger, better canvas for presenting your ideas with a bigger picture. This technology has been witnessed in Sci-Fi movies till now, but now it's gotta get real.