Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles • Hacker News Board

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#91

Post by bentcorner » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:11 PM UTC

AdamFernandez wrote: post #45

brosky117 wrote: post #23

What are your thoughts about this? I'll tell you mine. I just watched Google slowly, painfully, realize that Google Glass isn't commercially viable (in it's current form and to the general public). I can't help but feel that this is a larger, albeit more immersive, version of Google Glass. I only make this point in regards to any plans for a sci-fi, everyday wearable HUD. There is obviously a great demand for this ki…

I really hope the pinnacle of AR is not as intrusive and uncomfortable (for some) as placing plastic on my eyeball (this seems to be the goto for many people). Either equip the environment, give me eyewear (goggles, then lightweight glasses), and eventually (may be awhile) augmentation implants.

> eventually (may be awhile) augmentation implants

My sci-fi holy grail for this type of thing is a brain-machine interface in the form of a simple hat.

Early versions may look like this: http://i.imgur.com/y3v6hxB.jpg

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#92

Post by be5invis » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:11 PM UTC

mortenjorck wrote: post #52

So many questions. I can understand light reflecting into the eye from a microdisplay (using the same principle as a car HUD), but are they actually creating opaque imagery as well? How is that physically possible? Then there's 3D spatial interaction: In my experience with Leap Motion, Kinect, and other competing tech, the level of accuracy still limits interactions to broad gestures. If they've made a big enough lea…

Maybe it is just a two-layer panel: first layer hiding the background ...

http://gd3.alicdn.com/imgextra/i3/1069821249/TB2UIWkbXXXXXXZ...

... and the second layer glowing to show objects.

http://img1.mydrivers.com/img/20140710/c72872d7ae4242b5965e1...

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#93

Post by coldcode » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:12 PM UTC

Unlike the usual meme, in this case the goggles do something. Be interesting to actually try one.

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#94

Post by Phlarp » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:12 PM UTC

jwcooper wrote: post #84

mentos wrote: post #62

What is the killer app that will get people to go out and buy these? I don't think Holo Studio is it. Where is your imagination racing to?

Depending on the resolution, it could replace your monitors at work (assuming the headset is light, comfortable, etc). Using a wireless keyboard and mouse, you'd have your computer with you anywhere in the home or office. As a developer, having a wall of holographic desktop screen space in front of me would be amazing. My home office would look much better too! I have no idea how far away this version of HoloLens is…

>I have no idea how far away this version of HoloLens is from that reality though.

If the Oculus Rift is any indication-- This is still a long ways away, unfortunately.

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#95

Post by pobdkrreka » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:16 PM UTC

mortenjorck wrote: post #72

devindotcom wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I understand it, the light is not merely being projected or reflected, but dispersed on a coordinate system, so the display actually illuminates where it was transparent before. That would interfere with natural light coming through (it's tinted as well) allowing the 'hologram' to obscure the real world. I could be wrong, though.

Unless there is some curious property of light I don't understand (and given my perplexity at radial polarization, there may well be), there's no way that external light coming into the glasses can be diminished by internal light emitted by the glasses. For instance, if you're looking at a white wall in the real world, there's no way to render a black shape in front of it. You can only add luminance to it, in the sam…

If the projection surface in front of the eye is also an LCD, it's possible to block out part of the background at the same time you project something onto it. I don't know what happens in this particular product, but from the Mars demo, it sounds like they can do some display of dark objects:

"The sun shines brightly over the rover, creating short black shadows on the ground beneath its legs."

It's possible that they are just getting that effect by making the Mars surface bright, but they could also be actively blocking light from the shadow regions. We'll have to wait for more details.

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#96

Post by Someone1234 » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:17 PM UTC

mentos wrote: post #62

What is the killer app that will get people to go out and buy these? I don't think Holo Studio is it. Where is your imagination racing to?

"Adult entertainment" and, no, I am not joking.

That would be a major market for this technology.

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#97

Post by JoeAltmaier » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:18 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #96

mentos wrote: post #62

What is the killer app that will get people to go out and buy these? I don't think Holo Studio is it. Where is your imagination racing to?

"Adult entertainment" and, no, I am not joking. That would be a major market for this technology.

Most new technologies were initially funded by pornography. Photography. Wire recordings. Videotape. Maybe not telegraph but who knows.

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#98

Post by mahyarm » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:18 PM UTC

_random_ wrote: post #14

sz4kerto wrote: post #6

Key feature: see-through glasses. The eye strain was a major problem with Google Glass, that's not present here.

Yes, and Oculus Rift is now less relevant as well (good timing for selling it to Facebook). Why buy a dedicated heavy wired non-see-throw helmet? To shit yourself when someone is tapping your shoulder?

well you could add motion sensing and a camera on the device to help with that.

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#99

Post by bduerst » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:19 PM UTC

jwcooper wrote: post #84

mentos wrote: post #62

What is the killer app that will get people to go out and buy these? I don't think Holo Studio is it. Where is your imagination racing to?

Depending on the resolution, it could replace your monitors at work (assuming the headset is light, comfortable, etc). Using a wireless keyboard and mouse, you'd have your computer with you anywhere in the home or office. As a developer, having a wall of holographic desktop screen space in front of me would be amazing. My home office would look much better too! I have no idea how far away this version of HoloLens is…

3D workspace is it!

It's what I first thought of when I tried the Youtube app on Google Cardboard. The app has you in a theater with a main viewing screen, but then littered 360 degrees around you are other videos you can watch or cycle through.

All I could think was how awesome it would be to have half a dozen virtual screens (that I could manipulate) for programming. It would well justify the cost of a good device because six monitors would be probably just as expensive.

Re: Hands-On with Microsoft's New Holographic Goggles

#100

Post by billconan » Wed, Jan 21, 2015, 8:20 PM UTC

I wonder why they didn't demo an outdoor use case.

I'm curious if this technology is closer to oculus rift than to google glass.

I'm thinking maybe they use a front-facing camera to capture the scene and render the 3D stuff on top of the camera view? a user simply sees the composite scene via a display similar to oculus rift.