HomeWinBuzzer NewsMicrosoft HoloLens 2 IVAS Devices Now Heading to the US Army

Microsoft HoloLens 2 IVAS Devices Now Heading to the US Army

Microsoft’s controversial $21bn contract with the US Army to provide HoloLens 2 with IVAS technology is now underway.

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There have been a lot of rumors and a fair share of controversy around 's partnership with the US Army. Through previews, there have been plenty of bumps in the road, but now the company is finally delivering its HoloLens .

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft is shipping a batch of “high tech combat goggles” to the US military. Known as Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), the technology is essentially tweaked versions of the HoloLens and HoloLens 2.

The location data from soldiers over a tactical range to provide visualizations of where other soldiers in a squadron are. This will be valuable in low-visibility situations such as in smoke, sandstorms, or jungle.

To get to this stage, there have been plenty of issues. Back in March, we reported on Microsoft's concern that its $22bn HoloLens contract with the U.S. Army is not going to plan. Reports suggested the US Army was preparing to change the terms of the contract and take fewer devices.

Accepting Hardware

However, after a mostly successful test in the spring, the military is now ready to take delivery of the first batch of devices. The deal states Microsoft must provide 120,000 IVAS equipped HoloLens 2 devices.

Microsoft has also faced pushback from its own employees over the contract. Arguments against the deal focused on how HoloLens would be used to train soldiers and eventually lead to deaths. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella stood firm against the protests.

Tip of the day: Headsets are a vital tool for communication and can cause stressful moments when they don´t work as planned. In our tutorial we are showing you how to properly set up a headset on your Windows PC so this will be a thing of the past.

SourceBloomberg
Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about all things tech for more than five years. He is following Microsoft closely to bring you the latest news about Windows, Office, Azure, Skype, HoloLens and all the rest of their products.