In the 1977 blockbuster Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Princess Leia appeared to Luke Skywalker as a hologram. Nearly forty years after, that fantasy is here. The Microsoft HoloLens is a holographic computer that enables users to interact with high-definition holograms through augmented reality. Unveiled in 2015, the headset is now available to the (rich) masses, at a price of $3.000.


When the company started shipping the first models to developers and partners, the technology was being tested by training aircraft mechanics and in sports. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced two major updates “making it easier than ever for more developers to create the future of holographic computing”. The positive reactions led to a pilot version for companies to deploy in their enterprises, the HoloLens Commercial Suite.


The headset enables its user to create holograms with gestures, communicate through voice control and navigate with a glance, all in the most natural possible. This technology literally takes you beyond the screen, and lets you interact with digital content, just as you would do with physical objects. “Today we focused on the next frontier - mixed reality. Providing devices with the ability to perceive the world, breaking down the barriers between virtual and physical reality, is what we call mixed reality. Imagine wearing a VR device and seeing your physical hands as you manipulate an object working on the scanned 3-D image of a real object, or bringing in a holographic representation of another person into your virtual world so you can collaborate” Microsoft says.


2016 has already been a great year for great year for augmented reality. Let’s start a new adventure. Welcome to the age of holographs.


Story via Microsoft

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