Microsoft Holo goggles captivate with holograms

San Fancisco, Jan. 25: Microsoft’s HoloLens goggles have hit a sweet spot between Google Glass and virtual reality headgear, immersing users in a mesmerizing world of augmented reality holograms.

The glasses, which the US technology titan sprang on an unsuspecting press this week, elicited descriptions such as “magical” and “unbelievable,” the first time in a while such praise was heaped on a Microsoft creation.

The augmented reality goggles are a step in a different direction from virtual reality headgear such as Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus system, as well as Google Glass.

At private demos of HoloLens in a carefully guarded lower level of Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington, cameras and smartphones were not permitted.

Microsoft executives said the holographic capabilities built into Windows 10 operating software, to be released late this year, would open doors for developers to augment tasks from complex surgery to motorcycle design.

In a captivating demonstration, a prototype HoloLens turned a room into the surface of Mars. HoloLens wearers found themselves standing near a 3D representation of the Rover, free to roam Mars, at times accompanied by a NASA scientist projected into the scene and communicating through Skype.

NASA team members can use HoloLens to move about as if they are on Mars and figure out where they want the Rover to go and what they want it to do.

Through a series of scenarios, HoloLens overlaid virtual scenes on real space, allowing wearers to safely and efficiently navigate rooms while engaging with 3D imagery using voice, gaze or gesture.

The head piece tracks eye movements, then lets wearers use a simple finger flick to interact with whatever they focus on.

The room was then converted into an extension of the building-block themed game Minecraft, with castles on floors and table tops. With voice commands and taps of the finger, a wearer built or destroyed and vanquished zombies. The headgear became a tool for designing virtual toys then made real using a 3D printer.