Windows Holographic

A depiction of a Microsoft HoloLens user navigating the shell, with an application window on the left, and the Start menu on the right.

Windows Holographic is a mixed reality[1] platform developed by Microsoft, built around the API of Windows 10.

Holographic works by enabling applications in which the live presentation of physical real-world elements is incorporated with that of virtual elements (referred to as "holograms" by Microsoft[2][3][4][note 1]) such that they are perceived to exist together in a shared environment. A variant of Windows for augmented reality computers[1] (which augment a real-world physical environment with virtual elements) Windows Holographic features an augmented-reality operating environment in which any Universal Windows App can run. In addition, with Windows Holographic Platform APIs, which are part of the Universal Windows Platform, and supported as standard in Windows 10 (including versions for mobile devices and Xbox One), mixed reality features can be readily implemented in any Universal Windows App, for a wide range of Windows 10-based devices.[5][note 2]

Microsoft announced Windows Holographic at its "Windows 10: The Next Chapter" press event on January 21, 2015.[6] It is set to be introduced through the smart glasses headset Microsoft HoloLens, as part of the general rollout of Windows 10. The Windows 10 launch began July 29, 2015 with release of the PC version,[7] with the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition being released beginning March 30, 2016.[8]

Microsoft HoloLens

Main article: Microsoft HoloLens

The premier device for Windows Holographic,[1] Microsoft HoloLens is a smart-glasses headset that is a cordless, self-contained Windows 10 computer. It uses various sensors, a high-definition stereoscopic 3D optical head-mounted display, and spatial sound to allow for augmented reality applications, with a natural user interface that the user interacts with through gaze, voice, and hand gestures.[9][10][11] Codenamed "Project Baraboo," HoloLens had been in development for five years before its announcement in 2015, but was conceived earlier as the original pitch made in late 2007 for what would become the Kinect technology platform.[11][12] It was introduced with operating systems, such as Android, iOS and OS X on April 5, 2016.

Microsoft has targeted HoloLens for release "in the Windows 10 timeframe," with the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition to begin shipping March 30, 2016, available by application to developers in the United States and Canada for a list price of US$3000.[6][13] Although the Development Edition is considered to be consumer-ready hardware, as of February 2016 Microsoft has not set a time frame for consumer availability of HoloLens, with HoloLens chief inventor Alex Kipman stating that HoloLens will have a consumer release only when the market is ready for it.[14] Companies such as Samsung Electronics and Asus had expressed interest in working with Microsoft to produce their own mixed-reality products based on HoloLens.[15][16]

Design

The Microsoft HoloLens design is of a visor glasses unit connected to an adjustable padded inner headband. The unit can be tilted up and down, as well as adjusted forward and backward in relation to the headband.[17] To wear the HoloLens, the user uses an adjustment wheel at the back of the headband to secure it around the crown of their head, supporting the weight of the unit.[18] The user then tilts the visor down in front of the eyes.[17]

In the brow of the unit is much of the sensors and related hardware, including the cameras and processors. The visor front is tinted;[18] enclosed in the visor piece is a pair of transparent combiner lenses, in which the projected images are displayed in the lower half.[1] The HoloLens must be calibrated to the interpupillary distance (IPD) of the individual user.[19][20]

Along the bottom edges of the side arms by wearer's ears are a pair of small red stereo speakers. As opposed to headphones, the speakers do not obstruct external sound, allowing the user to hear virtual sounds together with the real-world environment.[18] Using head-related transfer functions, the HoloLens generates binaural audio, which can simulate spatial effects, such that the user can perceive a sound as coming from a specific location.[21][22][note 3]

On the top edge are two pairs of buttons: display brightness buttons above the left ear, and volume buttons above the right ear.[23] Adjacent buttons are shaped differently—one concave, one convex—so that the user can distinguish them by touch.[17]

At the end of the left arm is a power button and row of five tiny LEDs, which together are used to indicate system status, as well as for power management, indicating battery level and setting power/standby mode.[17] A USB 2.0 micro-B receptacle is located along the bottom edge.[18] A 3.5 mm audio jack is located along the bottom edge of the right arm.[13][18]

Hardware

The HoloLens features an inertial measurement unit (IMU), four "environment understanding" cameras, an energy-efficient depth camera,[note 4], a 2-megapixel photographic video camera, a four-microphone array, and an ambient light sensor.[13] The inertial measurement unit includes an accelerometer, gyroscope, and a magnetometer.[22]

In addition to a CPU and GPU, HoloLens features a Microsoft Holographic Processing Unit (HPU),[13] a custom coprocessor by Microsoft. The HPU processes and integrates data from the sensors—handling tasks such as spatial mapping, gesture recognition, and voice and speech recognition.[1][22][note 5] According to Alex Kipman, the HPU processes "terabytes of information" from the HoloLens's sensors in real time.[5] (see also Vision processing unit).

The combiner lenses of the HoloLens are optical waveguides consisting of three layers—for blue, green, and red[note 6]—each with diffractive features.[note 7] A "light engine" above each combiner lens projects light into the lens, a wavelength that then hits a diffractive element and reflects repeatedly along a layer until it is output to the eye.[note 8][11] Similar to that of many other optical head-mounted displays,[24] the display projection for the HoloLens occupies a limited portion of the user's field of view (FOV), particularly in comparison to virtual reality head-mounted displays, which typically cover a much greater field of view.[25][26][27][28][3][23][29] Based on preliminary hardware, most observers have characterized the field of view of the HoloLens as small, though subjective estimates vary significantly.[24][27][30][31] From the Build 2015 developer conference in May, one attendee estimated that the display field of view of the demonstration units was 30°×17.5°.[28] In an interview at the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo in June, Microsoft corporate vice president of next-gen experiences Kudo Tsunoda indicated that the field of view is unlikely to be significantly different on release.[32]

The HoloLens contains an internal rechargeable battery. Battery life is rated at 2-3 hours of active use, or 2 weeks of standby time. The HoloLens can be operated while charging.[13]

HoloLens features IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy (LE) wireless connectivity. The headset uses Bluetooth LE to pair with the included Clicker, a thumb-operated finger-sized input device that can be used for interface scrolling and selecting.[note 9] The Clicker features a clickable surface for selecting, and an orientation sensor which provides for scrolling functions via tilting and panning of the unit. The Clicker features an elastic finger loop for holding the device, and a USB 2.0 micro-B receptacle for charging its internal battery.[33]

Applications

As of 2016, a number of augmented-reality applications have been announced or showcased for Microsoft HoloLens. A collection of applications will be provided for free for developers purchasing the Microsoft HoloLens Developer Edition. Applications available at launch include:[34]

Other applications announced or showcased for HoloLens include:

Developed in collaboration with JPL, OnSight integrates data from the Curiosity rover into a 3D simulation of the Martian environment,[53] which scientists around the world can visualize, interact with, and collaborate in together using HoloLens devices. OnSight can be used in mission planning, with users able to program rover activities by looking at a target within the simulation, and using gestures to pull up and select menu commands.[54] JPL plans to deploy OnSight in Curiosity mission operations, using it to control rover activities by July 2015.[5]

Interface

HoloLens features a natural user interface which the user interacts with using gaze, gesture, and voice inputs—sometimes referred to collectively as "GGV".[55] Gaze tracking techniques such as head-tracking allows the user to bring application focus to whatever the user is looking at.[56] Elements can be selected via an "air tap" gesture akin to clicking an imaginary mouse, with the hand raised in a pointing position, and tapping down on the element using the index finger[57][9][58] The "tap" can be held for performing a "drag" function.[57][58] Users can perform various actions via voice command.[59]

The HoloLens shell carries over and adapts many elements from the Windows desktop environment. A "bloom" gesture for accessing the shell (performing a similar function to pressing a Windows key on a Windows keyboard or tablet, or the Xbox button on an Xbox One Controller) is performed by opening one's hand, fingers spread with the palm facing up.[58][11] Windows can be dragged to a particular position, as well as resized. Virtual elements such as windows or menus can be "pinned" to locations, physical structures or objects within the environment; or can be "carried," or fixed in relation to the user, following the user as they move around.[2] Title bars for application windows have a title on the left, and buttons for window management functions on the right.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ See also: holography § Things often confused with holograms
  2. ↑ See also: Intel RealSense[1]
  3. ↑ See also: 3D audio effect, virtual surround, psychoacoustics
  4. ↑ See also: time-of-flight camera, Kinect for Xbox One[1]
  5. ↑ See also: sensor hub
  6. ↑ See also: RGB color model
  7. ↑ See also: diffraction grating, holographic grating, holographic optical element
  8. ↑ See also: total internal reflection
  9. ↑ See also: clicker, mouse button
  10. ↑ See also: Instagram, Vine (service)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Alex Kipman, Seth Juarez (30 April 2015). Developing for HoloLens. Microsoft. Event occurs at 00:07:15. Retrieved 1 May 2015. HoloLens is the first—and so far—only holographic computer out there. [...] I hope that in the not-so-distant future there will be many such devices. [...] This is running Windows 10. All of the APIs for human and environment understanding are part of Windows, and this version of Windows that we put on this device—we call it Windows Holographic.
  2. 1 2 Microsoft HoloLens: What is a hologram?. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 Fenlon, Wes (21 January 2015). "Microsoft HoloLens hands on: the promise and disappointment of AR". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2 May 2015. The Microsoft HoloLens is not what I think of when I hear the word “hologram.” What Microsoft calls holograms, most of us have been calling augmented reality for years—overlaying digital images over our view of the real world.
  4. ↑ Kreylos, Oliver (22 January 2015). "What is holographic, and what isn’t?". Doc-Ok.org. Retrieved 20 September 2015. While these things are quite different from a technical point of view, from a user’s point of view, they have a large number of things in common. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a short, handy term that covers them all, has a well-matching connotation in the minds of the “person on the street,” and distinguishes these things from other things that might be similar technically, but have a very different user experience?
  5. 1 2 3 Terry Myerson, Alex Kipman, Jeff Norris, Satya Nadella (21 January 2015). Windows 10: The Next Chapter. Microsoft. Event occurs at 01:36:53. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
    "Satya Nadella, Terry Myerson, Joe Belfiore and Phil Spencer: Windows 10 Briefing". News Center. Microsoft. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 Shaban, Hamza (2014-09-02). "Microsoft announces Windows Holographic with HoloLens headset". The Verge. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  7. ↑ Hachman, Mark (30 April 2015). "Here's how Windows 10 will launch, according to Microsoft". PCWorld. IDG Consumer & SMB. Retrieved 2 May 2015. The way to think about it will be a launch wave that starts in the summer with PCs, and fills out over time as more devices come online [...] You should expect [the] phone, HoloLens, Xbox, and Surface Hub [launches] will be staggered
  8. ↑ Kipman, Alex (29 February 2016). "Announcing Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition open for pre-order, shipping March 30". Microsoft Devices Blog. Microsoft. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  9. 1 2 "HoloLens Interaction Model". Building Apps for Windows. Microsoft. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016. The easiest way to think about it [gaze-based targeting for HoloLens] is as having a raycast from the device and which you can determine what object (real world as represented in the spatial mapping mesh or holographic) that ray intercepts with.
  10. ↑ Colaner, Seth (30 April 2015). "Microsoft HoloLens, Hands On: Promising Productivity, Little Panache". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 1 May 2015. The pair of Microsoft reps in the IPD room also explained to us the three ways we were going to interact with HoloLens: "gaze," wherein you move a cursor by looking around; "gesture," where you air tap to select an item; and "voice," which is...obvious. "We call it 'GGV'," said one of the reps.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Hempel, Jessi (21 January 2015). "Restart: Microsoft in the age of Satya Nadella". Wired. Retrieved 22 January 2015. Each lens has three layers of glass—in blue, green, and red—full of microthin corrugated grooves that diffract light. [...] A “light engine” above the lenses projects light into the glasses, where it hits the grating and then volleys between the layers of glass millions of times.
  12. ↑ Hempel, Jessi (21 January 2015). "Project HoloLens: Our Exclusive Hands-On With Microsoft’s Holographic Goggles". Wired. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Introducing the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition". Microsoft. Retrieved 7 October 2015. We will work to get devices out as quickly as possible. As soon as additional devices are available, more accepted applicants will be invited to purchase.
  14. ↑ Fried, Ina (18 February 2016). "Burned by Kinect’s Fizzle, Microsoft Is Taking Its Time With HoloLens". Re/code. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  15. ↑ Kim Yoo-chul (13 May 2015). "Samsung seeks partnership with Microsoft for hololens". The Korea Times. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  16. ↑ Tibken, Shara (19 October 2015). "Asus mulls HoloLens augmented-reality glasses of its own". Wearable Tech. CNET. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Davies, Chris (1 May 2015). "HoloLens hands-on: Building for Windows Holographic". SlashGear. Retrieved 1 May 2015. That means very little pressure on your nose, and even if you’re wearing glasses you can generally find a workable way to keep them on underneath.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 "Microsoft Hololens hardware". Microsoft. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  19. ↑ Hachman, Mark (1 May 2015). "Developing with HoloLens: Decent hardware chases Microsoft's lofty augmented reality ideal". PC World. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  20. ↑ Hollister, Sean (21 January 2015). "Microsoft HoloLens Hands-On: Incredible, Amazing, Prototype-y as Hell". Retrieved 1 May 2015. One Microsoft employee [...] typed my IPD (interpupillary distance) into a connected PC. Microsoft says the final version will automatically measure the distnace [sic] between your eyes, but the prototypes don’t have that feature yet.
  21. ↑ Microsoft HoloLens: The Science Within - Spatial Sound with Holograms. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  22. 1 2 3 Holmdahl, Todd (30 April 2015). "BUILD 2015: A closer look at the Microsoft HoloLens hardware". Microsoft Devices Blog. Retrieved 29 February 2016. This custom silicon efficiently processes data from the sensors, resulting in a relatively simple yet informative output that can be easily used by developers so they can focus on creating amazing experiences without having to work through complex physics calculations.
  23. 1 2 Bright, Peter (1 May 2015). "HoloLens: Still magical, but with the ugly taint of reality". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  24. 1 2 Kreylos, Oliver (18 August 2015). "HoloLens and Field of View in Augmented Reality". Doc-Ok.org. Retrieved 23 August 2015. Initially, there was little agreement among those who experienced HoloLens regarding its field of view. That’s probably due to two reasons: one, it’s actually quite difficult to measure the FoV of a headmounted display; and two, nobody was allowed to bring any tools or devices into the demonstration rooms.
  25. 1 2 Microsoft HoloLens: Partner Spotlight with Case Western Reserve University. Microsoft. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  26. ↑ Orland, Kyle (9 July 2015). "See for yourself what Microsoft HoloLens’ limited field-of-view looks like". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved 9 July 2015. Even this video only gives a partial impression of just how limited the effect is. That's because the aspect ratio of the video window itself cuts off a large part of the peripheral vision you have when using HoloLens in real life.
  27. 1 2 Dingman, Hayden (18 June 2015). "Microsoft's augmented reality Halo is breathtaking, but HoloLens still needs work". PCWorld. Retrieved 28 June 2015. I don’t know what the field of view is on HoloLens, but if the Oculus Rift/HTC Vive have a “looking at the world through ski goggles” feel on occasion, then HoloLens is like looking at a cell phone screen someone held up five feet in front of your face. Or like peering at the world through the slit of a welding mask.
  28. 1 2 Kreylos, Oliver (1 May 2015). "On the road for VR: Microsoft HoloLens at Build 2015, San Francisco". Doc-Ok.org. Retrieved 17 June 2015. As I was stripped of all devices and gadgets before being allowed into the demo room, I had to guesstimeasure it by covering the visible screen with my hands (fingers splayed) at arm’s length, ending up with 1 3/4 hands horizontally, and 1 hand vertically (in other words, a 16:9 screen aspect ratio) (see Figure 1). In non-Doc-Ok units, that comes out to about 30° by 17.5° (for comparison, the Oculus Rift DK2′s field of view is about 100° by 100°).
  29. ↑ Robertson, Adi (1 May 2015). "Microsoft's HoloLens is new, improved, and still has big problems". The Verge. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  30. ↑ Statt, Nick (1 May 2015). "Our inside look at Microsoft's HoloLens leaves us wanting more". CNET. Retrieved 28 June 2015. The most noticeable differentiator with the HoloLens right now is that your field of view is limited, resembling a rectangle the size of a sheet of printer paper held a half a foot in front of your face.
  31. 1 2 Crecente, Brian (16 June 2015). "HoloLens' Project X-Ray delivers a first-person augmented reality shooter". Polygon. Retrieved 28 June 2015. The virtual screen was about the size of a deck of cards if you held it in front of your eyes with your arm half-extended.
  32. ↑ Jeff Gerstmann, Phil Spencer, Kudo Tsunoda (16 June 2015). Giant Bomb LIVE! at E3 2015: Day 01. Event occurs at 3:13:06. Retrieved 4 July 2015. the hardware we have now [...] the field of view isn't exactly final, but I wouldn't say it's going to be [...] hugely, noticeably different, either.
  33. ↑ "Working with accessories". Windows Dev Center. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  34. ↑ Tsunoda, Kudo (29 February 2016). "Introducing first ever experiences for the Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition". Microsoft Devices Blog. Microsoft. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  35. ↑ Microsoft HoloLens: HoloStudio. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  36. 1 2 "Microsoft HoloLens apps". Microsoft. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  37. ↑ Tsunoda, Kudo (14 March 2016). "Introducing Actiongram: A completely new holographic storytelling medium". Microsoft Devices Blog. Microsoft. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  38. ↑ Microsoft HoloLens: Skype. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  39. ↑ Microsoft HoloLens: Fragments. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  40. ↑ Microsoft HoloLens: Young Conker. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  41. ↑ Microsoft HoloLens: RoboRaid. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  42. ↑ Gaudiosi, John (28 February 2016). "Microsoft HoloLens Launch Games, Apps Detailed". Fortune. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  43. ↑ "Case Western Reserve, Cleveland Clinic Collaborate with Microsoft on ‘Earth-Shattering’ Mixed-Reality Technology for Education". Case Western Reserve University. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  44. ↑ "Trimble Partners with Microsoft to Bring Microsoft HoloLens Wearable Holographic Technology to the AEC Industry". Trimble Navigation. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  45. ↑ "Halo 5 headlines greatest holiday games lineup in Xbox history". Microsoft News Center. Microsoft. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  46. ↑ Kudo Tsunoda, Lydia Winters, Sax Persson (15 June 2015). E3 2015 Media Briefing. Microsoft. Event occurs at 01:13:36. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  47. ↑ Satya Nadella, Lorraine Bardeen, Dan McCulloch (13 July 2015). Our journey together. Event occurs at 42:42. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  48. ↑ Ramsey, Sarah, ed. (25 June 2015). "NASA, Microsoft Collaborate to Bring Science Fiction to Science Fact". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  49. ↑ Gardiner, Garin (30 November 2015). "Microsoft HoloLens + Autodesk Fusion 360 = Mixed Reality for Product Design and Engineering [VIDEO]". In the Fold. Autodesk. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  50. ↑ "Galaxy Explorer". Microsoft Studios. Microsoft. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  51. ↑ "Announcing the Microsoft HoloLens ‘Share Your Idea’ campaign". Building Apps for Windows. Microsoft. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  52. ↑ Jeff Norris (10 February 2016). Vision Summit 2016 Keynote. Ray Dolby Ballroom, Dolby Theatre: Unity Technologies. Event occurs at 57:26. Retrieved 17 February 2016. It's a new application under development in my lab, and we're talking about it publicly for the first time today. It's a tool for spacecraft designers, and it borrows a lot of technology from the work that we're doing for our applications on the International Space Station.
  53. ↑ Parker Abercrombie (23 January 2016). A Cloud-based Architecture for Processing 3D Mars Terrain. Ballroom A, Pasadena Convention Center: Linux Expo of Southern California Inc. Retrieved 17 February 2016. ...but the rover moves everyday, and we wanted this tool to be useful operationally, so we actually needed to, not just do this once, but we needed a way to create these scenes easily and automatically as the rover moves, and new imagery is downlinked.
    Abercrombie, Parker (23 January 2016). A Cloud-based Architecture for Processing 3D Mars Terrain (Portable Document Format). SCaLE 14x — The Fourtheenth Annual Southern California Linux Expo. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  54. ↑ Northon, Karen, ed. (21 January 2015). "NASA, Microsoft Collaboration Will Allow Scientists to "Work on Mars"". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  55. ↑ "Development overview". Windows Dev Center. Microsoft. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  56. ↑ Microsoft HoloLens: Gaze Input. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  57. 1 2 Microsoft HoloLens: Gesture Input. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  58. 1 2 3 "Gestures". Windows Dev Center. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  59. ↑ Microsoft HoloLens: Voice Input. Microsoft. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.

External links

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