Earlier this year, the US Army and Microsoft signed a 10-year contract to supply the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), an AR headset based on HoloLens 2, for the next 10 years. The contract will start on September 30, 2021, and Microsoft was scheduled to start supplying AR headsets sequentially, but according to reports, the device will not start supplying even after the scheduled date, and the contract start date will be delayed by one year from September 2022. said to have been
The reason for the delay is unclear, but Microsoft is being audited by the Pentagon inspectorate in early October to see if it meets the system requirements. However, it is not known whether the audit results led to a postponement. The U.S. Army will test IVAS in September, and the tests will be conducted regularly until September next year.
IVAS is intended to be used for both combat support and training, and even in the battlefield, if you watch a sci-fi movie or game, you can display and check the location of troops and other important information on the goggles like a HUD display. It also has a dark function and can be used to conduct operations at night or in dark places such as underground. Training venues are also used to provide information about the practice and to provide instructors with menus to improve specific skills.
In addition, regarding the HoloLens contract with the US military, voices of internal opposition from Microsoft were heard even before the official contract was signed. Some of the staff are against the idea of their technology directly supporting the military, making real war feel like a game. In any case, if Microsoft loses the contract, it is certain that the company’s profits and the HoloLens business itself will suffer a lot. Related information can be found here.