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Bloomberg reports that the military version of the HoloLens augmented reality headset did not satisfy the Pentagon. During testing, more than 80% of the soldiers complained of discomfort, which directly affected the ability to perform the task. Complaints include headaches, eye strain, and nausea. All of these symptoms appeared less than three hours after the start of use.
One of the testers believes that the light emitted by HoloLens in active mode can reveal the location of soldiers to the enemy. In its current form, the device may be dangerous for real-world use.
The Pentagon report also notes problems with the stability of the device, even in basic tasks. With the latest updates, the situation has improved somewhat, but crashes that lead to the inoperability of the system still happen quite often. The navigation system has also been improved with updates.
Despite the shortcomings, the Pentagon sees HoloLens as a possible refinement. The report states that Microsoft needs to improve low-light sensor performance, improve display clarity and viewing angles, and fix stability issues with some critical features.
Recall that in early 2021, Microsoft won a contract to supply 120,000 HoloLens-based augmented reality headsets to the US Army. The contract is designed for 10 years, and its amount can reach $21.88 billion.
