Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 Fosters Greater Capability for AR/MR Solutions in Enterprise

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 in Barcelona, Microsoft unveiled its next generation headset, HoloLens 2. The new headset includes a range of upgrades that enhance user experience, providing extra flexibility, improving task efficiency, and unlocking more opportunities for businesses. The new headset is more ergonomic than HoloLens 1, supporting a broader field of view (FoV) that allows users to see holograms and 3D models more easily in a wider view and a new eye tracking system that follows the direction users look, allowing them to respond to tasks faster (for instance, users are able to scroll through a holographic website by looking up and down on the page). At the same time, the combination of the eye tracking system and voice command enables completely hands-free operation in a wider range of scenarios. Moreover, enhanced hand and finger recognition for gesture control enables easier and faster hologram manipulation. The new Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) will feature an AI coprocessor and allow data to be analyzed locally instead of sending it to the cloud, alleviating delays in object recognition and user response. In addition, Microsoft introduced Dynamics 365, a mixed reality (MR) app for field service, employee remote assistance, and interactive training that is compatible with HoloLens 2 and Android mobile devices.

Companies from the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors, healthcare, and industry are the first enterprise verticals to leverage the new headset capabilities and become involved in Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Partner Program (MRPP), which supports MR solutions. More specifically, Bentley Systems Incorporated, a software provider for the AEC sector, is one of the selected Microsoft Partners and introduced the SYNCHRO XR app for HoloLens 2. This app allows users to visualize 3D construction models to gain insights about projects’ progress, safety requirements, and potential risks. Additionally, the app enables all involved parties to have hands-free interaction with digital construction models and gain a deeper understanding of tasks and project schedules. The app for HoloLens 2 replaces traditional 2D screen models with 3D holographic models, allowing users to physically walk into construction models, review progress, and prepare for upcoming tasks.

Regarding healthcare, Philips and Microsoft developed an AR concept for HoloLens 2 by leveraging Philips’ Azurion image-guided therapy platform. The image-guided procedures with open surgery significantly reduce costs at hospitals, allowing the treatment of multiple patients at lower costs and improving their experiences. For example, image guided therapy allows local instead of general anesthetic, minimizing the length of time that patients must stay in the hospital for recovery. AR allows users to have hands free access to real time data, 3D holographic medical imagery, and other important sources that are currently displayed in 2D. Doctors are able to control the Azurion platform with voice commands, eye tracking, or gesture control, and maintain their focus on their patients.

Industrial uses for HoloLens2 were shown with Vuforia AR/MR solutions from PTC. The Vuforia platform and HoloLens 2 allow industrial workers to optimize tasks, receive hands-free guidance and instructions about troubleshooting processes, and train hands free in real time. At MWC, PTC and Microsoft presented a use case with engineering company Howden.

ABI Research expects that in the coming years smart glasses will continue to gain market share compared to mobile devices, with technological advancements and more competitive prices of AR headsets allowing more businesses to adopt AR solutions and an increasing number of consumer-friendly glasses. Due to its low cost and strong capabilities, mobile AR will continue to hold the majority of use. However, HMDs have the advantage of hands-free access, and a considerable number of tasks in healthcare, AEC, and industry are complex, requiring flexibility and hands-free access to data, task flows, and other related project information to ensure task accuracy and employee efficiency. AR smart glasses are also more efficient than mobile AR for non-touch input methods, such as specialized voice recognition for loud environments, allowing employees to use voice commands to receive guidance and access data. HMDs also tend to offer more immersive and realistic content than mobile devices, making them useful tools for employee training and enabling other high-immersion use cases.

The technological advancements and new capabilities of HoloLens 2 will encourage more businesses to adopt AR solutions to address challenges and improve organizational efficiency. At the same time, the release of HoloLens 2 will play an important role in helping the market better understand AR use cases, the capabilities of HMDs, the value in some enterprise verticals, and smart glasses features that are required for successful AR implementations and enhanced user experience. A range of tools and platform partnerships on offer for building content, such as Microsoft Azure, Unity, Unreal, and Vuforia, will play an essential role in the adoption rate of the new headset in the coming months. The price of HMDs remains a primary concern, preventing adoption or not scaling after trial phases, and this remains an issue for HoloLens 2. Even so, a high price