Holographic future through the HoloLens 2

Making its way to our private time, mixed reality is higher demand in business world. Microsoft has showcased the next generation of their mixed reality headset, Hololens 2, which has what it takes to drive the new opportunities and use cases across industries.  

About three years ago, the presentation of the mixed-reality HoloLens glasses from Microsoft aroused great interest among professional users in industry and commerce. Since then, HoloLens has become the first choice for mixed reality solutions in the industrial environment. Tieto has worked on multiple projects bringing the real-time data visualization, remote guidance and mixed reality training via Hololens.

We have learnt that apart from the wow effect, the device offers convenience to the users when they need to collaborate, or access senor data, instructions and manuals in context of the factory environment. Over the years, however, we have identified several improvement areas and that’s exactly why we are so excited.  

The HoloLens 2 is significantly more compact and lighter than its predecessor and has a field of view twice as large. Another major step, made possible by new sensors such as the Azure Kinect DK, is the ability of the glasses to capture and visualize their surroundings in three dimensions. The newly designed tracking of the pupils and both hands allows a significantly improved, intuitive handling of the mixed reality glasses in use. Also, very promising is the Microsoft HoloLens Customization Program, which allows users to customize for various purposes. The program now also enables the development of HoloLens 2 eyewear integrated into safety helmets, for example, which can easily withstand the strict safety regulations in the industry.  

My colleague at Tieto Enhanced Reality CoE Helmut Krämer, XR Evangelist and one of the most profound experts on Microsoft's development environments in Austria, sees great potential in the new mixed reality glasses for use in the manufacturing and processing industry as well as in many other fields: “Mixed Reality will continue to assert itself in industry and in the industrial sector. The release of OPENXR, which enables us to develop apps for HoloLens 2 and all other relevant devices, will give the technology a further boost.”   

Even though the sales date of Hololens 2 is still not confirmed, we had an opportunity to get to know the device last month in Microsoft Austria at an exclusive hands-on session arranged for Tieto customers. What we’ve seen is worth the wait. The hand-tracking and interaction have been drastically improved, and the wider field of view is a definite enabler of the smoother experience. We are already working actively with our customers to translate their needs into solutions supported by the next generation holographic devices. Get in touch with our team to learn more.