Microsoft won a contract, potentially worth up to $ 22 billion, to build the device, but the contract is delayed and burdened with quality and workmanship problems.
– These devices would contribute to our death – said one of the testers directly about the current version of the Microsoft device for the military in an excerpt from the army report disclosed to Insider. Subject was referring to the light generated by the goggles on, which could indicate to the enemy the position of the soldiers.
According to one Microsoft employee, the device failed in four out of six evaluation items in a recent “operational show”.
According to the employee who passed on to Insider excerpts from the test report, the error concerned, inter alia, the fact that the glow from the display of the device was visible from a distance of hundreds of meters, which could reveal the position of the soldier using the equipment. The testers also found that when the kit is turned on, the user’s field of vision, including peripheral vision, is limited and the volume and weight of the device block the soldier’s movements.
Microsoft spokesman Frank X. Shaw directed questions about IVAS to the army. An army spokesman said the operational test has so far been generally considered a success and that the army remains committed to the IVAS program.
“The results show that the program was a success given most of the army’s evaluation criteria,” Brigadier General Christopher D. Schneider said in a statement to Insider. However, the results also showed areas where IVAS fared poorly and needed additional improvements that the army would respond to.
“The army will provide its soldiers with the most reliable and advanced equipment“- it was also written in the statement.
The contract with the army was considered a milestone, especially for Microsoft, but also for AR technology at all. Admittedly, kits like Microsoft’s HoloLens are widely regarded as the key to vision metaverse promoted by leaders such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, it is difficult for them to be commercially successful. There is widespread disorganization in the department at Microsoft mixed reality. Talented employees have gone to rivals such as Meta, and recent management shifts have caused the business to shatter internally.
Microsoft expected a poor assessment from the soldiers. Insider released a news from March in which a Microsoft employee warned of negative reception due to problems with the device’s reliability and its operation in low light conditions.
– We (Microsoft) approach this test expecting negative feedback from the customer – wrote an employee in a note to members of the company’s military contracting team, including CEO of Artificial Intelligence and Mixed Reality, David Marr. – We still expect unfavorable opinions from soldiers, as the improvement in the reliability of the equipment was minimal compared to the previous tests.
Author: Ashley Stewart