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Further practical details about Microsoft HoloLens emerge

by Mark Tyson on 18 January 2016, 12:31

Tags: Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

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Through official Microsoft channels we haven't seen much in terms of solid specs and real-world usage considerations regarding the HoloLens headset. However there was a recent event held in Tel Aviv, Israel, hosted by Bruce Harris, a technical evangelist at Microsoft, that has given us further insight about what to expect when this augmented reality (AR) headset arrives.

Harris informed the Israeli presentation attendees that the Microsoft HoloLens would offer rather wide battery stamina results, depending upon what it was being used for by the wearer. When working on things like email or Microsoft Word documents users might achieve five or five and a half hours of battery life, according to Harris. However is the device is employed for highly computational project work, such as 3D renderings, the battery life can drop to just two and a half hours. Whatever you use the HoloLens for it won't make you uncomfortable due to generating heat, as it was "built to dissipate heat," said Harris.

The HoloLens is a wireless-only device and uses either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to connect to other devices. Harris said that it will run any universal Windows 10 app and that multiple headsets will be able to link (including over the internet), for shared experiences.

We have talked about the field of view (FOV) of the HoloLens before, with some concern about the impact on the experience offered. Harris touched upon this subject, saying that the experience is like having a 15-inch monitor suspended about 12-inches (30cm) in front of your face with the AR content displayed upon it. While some Microsoft representatives have talked about the limited FOV allowing you to keep your peripheral vision clear, Harris indicated it was necessary "because of cost and battery-life," considerations.

Microsoft will be releasing HoloLens headsets to developers later in the current quarter. The original video of Harris demonstrating the HoloLens in Israel was removed from YouTube this weekend but has since been re-uploaded by various folk.



HEXUS Forums :: 6 Comments

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Is this that $3000 expensive thing that can barely handle a small area of a Minecraft map?
BAD field of view compared to adverts
lumireleon
BAD field of view compared to adverts
its not really the adverts fault because they put the device on a camera lens that only has a 90ish FOV itself so it doesn't really show how a human eye would see it.
I guess it is a fabulous technologic revolution (need to perform some details,cost,tools,etc.). But I am wondering the real benefit of these. (check out “Black mirror” series)
While some Microsoft representatives have talked about the limited FOV allowing you to keep your peripheral vision clear, Harris indicated it was necessary “because of cost and battery-life,” considerations.
Technically correct, but hugely disingenuous. The field of view is limited by fundamental physical limitations of the diffraction-grating waveguide used for the view-through optics (the diffraction grating is holographically patterned, hence the ‘holo’ in ‘Hololens’) With Crown Glass or optical plastic, which has an index of refraction peaking at 1.6/1.7, you're limited to a 30 to 35° FoV. Why not just use materials with a higher refractive index for a greater FoV? because you hit a limit in refractive index with Diamond of around 2.5, which nets you a bit above 50° FoV.
There's effectively no prospect for Hololens to increase it's FoV with the current optics, or with any optics either on the market or yet demonstrated in prototype form*. The limit is physical rather than financial: either magical new high-refractive-index bulk materials suddenly are developed (i.e. nope) or visible-band wide-bandwidth metamaterials are developed (allowing a whole new class of lens).


*I'm sure someone is going to pipe up about Magic Leap here. They have made a lot of wild claims, a lot of vague claims, and the single video purportedly of an actual device has an FoV of just below 40°. Magic Leap gets to sit in the corner with the “Vaporware” hat until they can actually back up their extraordinary claims with some extraordinary results.