Microsoft secures $480 million contract with U.S. Army for HoloLens headsets

Microsoft will supply the U.S. Army with HoloLens headsets for combat and training purposes as part of a $480 million contract. Bloomberg reports that the contract could ultimately consequence in the Army'southward purchase of more than 100,000 headsets.

"Augmented reality engineering will provide troops with more and better information to brand decisions. This new work extends our longstanding, trusted relationship with the Department of Defense to this new area," a Microsoft spokesman said in a statement to Bloomberg.

According to the description of the program, the Regular army will utilise the headsets to "increment lethality past enhancing the ability to detect, make up one's mind, and engage earlier the enemy."

HoloLens has already seen plenty of use in enterprise scenarios, often assisting in manufacturing, equally well as the design and medical industries. The version of HoloLens the Army will receive volition ultimately look quite a scrap dissimilar from the headset nosotros've come to know, however. According to Bloomberg, the Army has asked Microsoft to incorporate nighttime vision, thermal sensing, and the ability to monitor vital signs similar breathing and expect for signs of concussions.

The behest process saw Microsoft beat out a number of other competitors, including Magic Jump, which recently released its first consumer AR headset.

The contract comes at a time when tech companies are facing increased scrutiny over their work with regime agencies. Earlier this year, Microsoft found itself in the heart of controversy over its work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) as the bureau came under fire for its treatment of migrant families at the U.South.-Mexico border. More than than 100 Microsoft employees protested, calling for an end to the visitor'south piece of work with ICE in an open up letter.

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