HoloLens 2; what can you do with it?

Currently, the Microsoft HoloLens 2 is seen as the gold standard in the field of Augmented Reality (AR). This is due to the fact that the AR glasses offer a particularly high resolution - and a wider field of view than its predecessor. As a result, holograms can be displayed much more realistically, making the glasses better suited for use in a business environment and for specific purposes.

The HoloLens 2 is the second iteration of Microsoft's revolutionary HoloLens 1. HoloLens is a standalone mixed/augmented reality headset that you can wear on your head without a computer and without external sensors. The built-in processor and WiFi receiver make the HoloLens almost a kind of standalone mini-computer.

While the HoloLens 1 first brought this concept to the (business) market, the HoloLens 2 improves all the features of its predecessor. For instance, the Microsoft HoloLens 2 offers the following advantages over the HoloLens 1:

• A wider field of view: the wider field of view allows the user to see more information on the screen. This has the advantage of better displaying holograms, but also offers possibilities for presenting information.
• Better hand and voice control: you can press certain buttons or swipe away screens by making gestures with your hands. This way of control can now also be combined with voice control.
• Smaller, lighter and easier to use: what immediately stands out is that the HoloLens 2 is much more comfortable than the HoloLens 1. This makes the headset easy to wear for a longer period of time, without the need to take it off.

The HoloLens 2 is a mixed reality and an augmented reality headset. With the HoloLens 2, you can therefore create a combination of a simulated/virtual world and the real world (mixed reality) or add something virtual to the real, physical world (augmented reality). Generally, the HoloLens 2 is currently most often used for AR applications. Think of creating a hologram and adding it to the real world, such as a digital painting. When you look at a white wall, you may only see a large white surface. But when you look at the white wall with the HoloLens 2 on, it suddenly turns into a huge artwork.

Another application of the HoloLens 2 is virtually looking along with (or with) someone on location. You can use the Microsoft software for this Remote Assist. This software works together with Microsoft Teams and connects the users of both the HoloLens 2 and the device being communicated with (for example another HoloLens 2, a laptop or a tablet/smartphone). In this youtube video this is illustrated with a practical example. For more information on purchasing the software, you can follow this link to the Microsoft website

In addition to the above application, HoloLens 2 is also used for development. Think of creating applications that are useful for your business applications, such as (re)creating objects so that employees can be trained, developing a game for children to play, or creating teaching material that is interesting for students. The software programs Unity and Unreal Engine are typically used for creating applications.

HoloLens 2 can be used by a wide range of innovative companies. The most obvious applications will be in the Remote Assist features, which allow experts to look along at locations that are, for example, difficult to reach. But even when you develop something yourself, HoloLens 2 can offer nice outcomes. Car companies like Audi and Mercedes use the HoloLens 2 to let their mechanics look at a car's engine virtually. By recreating the engine completely as a hologram, the mechanics can see every corner of the engine in detail without having to hoist it out of the car.

But hospitals and universities are also actively exploring the possibilities of HoloLens 2. Doctors and medical students use the AR glasses to mimic the human body. By doing this as anatomically correct as possible, a virtual body offers the opportunity for students to be studied down to the cells, and it may even be possible for doctors to prepare for a difficult or rare operation.

The videos below show some good and beautiful examples of how the HoloLens 2 can be used in practice.

• How Mercedes-Benz is transforming technician support with Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and HoloLens 2.
• PACCAR is exploring Dynamics 365 Guides and HoloLens 2 to improve employee onboarding.
• Airbus is driving innovation and accelerating production with Azure mixed reality and HoloLens 2.
• Police officers use HoloLens to capture evidence in real-time at a crime scene.

Order the Microsoft HoloLens 2 from Unbound VR. We are happy to think along with you when using the HoloLens 2 and we usually have the product in stock. Therefore, contact contact us or order the HoloLens 2 directly via our webshop!