Last week at MWC in Barcelona, Microsoft debuted the next generation of its HoloLens mixed-reality headset. The new system will cost $3,500 and doubles the field of view from previous iterations. Perhaps more importantly for you, it conforms to basic impact protection requirements and is available through the Microsoft HoloLens Customization Program, which allows “customers and partners to customize HoloLens 2 to fit their environmental needs.”
In other words, the HoloLens is a clear statement about the most important early use case for mixed-reality technology: enterprise.
And Trimble is already out in front with the XR10 device, which was developed through the HoloLens customization program to “put holographic data to work in the field.” The device, which integrates a HoloLens 2 into a hard hat, is primed for use in applications like reviewing design models, viewing complex instructions, or collaborating with experts back in the office.
The XR10 is designed, Trimble says, to enable workers in safety-controlled environments to access data while working. This solution pairs with the company’s Trimble Connect solution for HoloLens. It also marks another step in Trimble’s push to get out ahead of mixed-reality technology, which has seen the company partner with HTC’s Vive, Magic Leap, Daqri, Google, Apple, and more.
In an official statement, the director of Trimble’s Mixed-Reality Program Aviad Almagor said, “we’re excited to extend our collaboration with Microsoft in producing a safety-first mixed-reality solution that can be used in production environments such as construction, where workers are building, monitoring and inspecting products and services that deliver tangible value every day.”
For more information, or to pre-order the solution, see Trimble’s mixed-reality website here.
