Microsoft Unveils New HoloLens Features, Partnerships, Robots at Build 2015

San Francisco, California – //Build 2015: There’s no release date for Windows 10, or a price for the Microsoft Hololens…  For Android Developers, there is now an app subsystem that allows Android apps to be built for Windows phone users…  The replacement browser for Internet Explorer is called Microsoft Edge, and it has Cortana embedded in it…   Users can register their website with Windows Store, a user can then install an app, and it runs as one web application, allowing you reuse your current server-hosted website and tools…  You can control your phone from your desktop with Windows 10.  Cortana can launch third-party communication apps and execute commands in them…  A feature called Windows Spotlight provides an interesting and regularly updated and interactive background for you with crazy looking wallpaper and personalized information…  The Start Menu is back in the lower left hand corner, and the Aeroglass transparency are both back from Windows 7… then…

Then, the Hololens was brought out, and it was an insanely good presentation, hosted by Corporate Vice President, Operating Systems Group at Microsoft, Joe Belfiore. The desktop will unfold in front of you to move the Windows 10 desktop into augmented reality. The wearable, gesture-controlled, AR interface from Microsoft was promised to have a number of applications. Getting the Hololens technology into the hands of students and simulating normally expensive lab scenarios is amazing.  But wait…

Then, a tiny Rasperry Pi-powered robot came out onto the stage, fully integrated with Windows 10.  This is the sort of bot that you can imagine any skilled Maker whipping together.  But, via the HoloLens, a holographic robot appeared to pop right out of the Pi-bot, resulting in a cool- and friendly-looking, augmented reality robot.  The robot followed some simple vocal and gesture commands and appeared to scan and map the room in 3D in a demonstration of impending future technology.

With Windows 10 integrated into a Rasperry Pi robot and augmented and controlled by Microsoft Hololens, think of the applications that could incorporate 3D printing, 3D scanning, and even 3D modeling software. Microsoft is already partnering with a few different companies and organizations to begin taking advantage of the HoloLens system, such as Disney, Unity, Autodesk, and NASA. NASA, for instance, will be implementing HoloLens to explore Mars.

The company also teamed up with 3D file-sharing site Sketchfab. Using the HoloStudio 3D modeling app, users can publish 3D models directly to SketchFab or import models from Sketchfab into HoloStudio before 3D printing. According to Sketchfab CEO Alban Denoyel, this is just the beginning of their partnership with Microsoft and there will many more features associated with HoloLens in the near future.

Robots, augmented reality, Rasperry Pi! Oh my, what a crazy presentation. And, with Microsoft set to announce news about a manipulated, altered, or possibly entirely new 3D printing file format, perhaps we’ll see a few Microsoft 3D prints tomorrow…