NEW YORK: Astronauts working in low-Earth orbit will soon receive Microsoft’s HoloLens technology during a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) via the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft. A pair of the augmented reality headsets were previously destroyed while aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule when the Falcon 9 rocket exploded during a cargo run last summer.
NASA will apply the HoloLens technology to its newly-developed ‘Project Sidekick’ as a way for the crew of the ISS to expedite day-to-day operations and research while increasing overall efficiency. The headsets will enable Astronauts to conference with experts here on Earth in real time and provide a holographic instruction manual for designated scientific experiments.
HoloLens is the first fully untethered holographic computer ever developed and NASA is the first external organization to partner with Microsoft in utilizing the headsets. This partnership is the first step in the space agency’s long-term plan to pair holographic computing with space exploration. What the technology essentially does is fabricate objects in the real world using light instead of matter creating what is commonly referred to in science fiction as a hologram.
“Now we can place these holograms right into your world and right into your life with more reality than ever before. Now this mixed reality of having holograms existing/being pinned in the real world, really allow you to create brand new experiences” explained Microsoft Technology Fellow, Alex Kipman. “We’re incredibly excited to have Sidekick be one of those first experiences.”
