What Can You Do With Microsoft’s new HoloLens 2?
The HoloLens 2 is revolutionizing the ways we use mixed reality in the workplace. From manufacturing to medicine, Microsoft’s augmented reality headset is opening up new avenues for success.
The original HoloLens saved people time and money by enabling previously unthinkable access to plans and training. And the HoloLens 2 is no different. In the time since release, we have seen another unprecedented shift in productivity. The Microsoft HoloLens 2 Use Cases we will outline today highlight the strength of this tool. So let’s start by talking about some of the machines’ industrial applications.
Industrial & Manufacturing: HoloLens 2 Mixed Reality Use Cases
HoloLens 2 has found a home in the remote industrial field. In industries like mining, petroleum, lumber, fishing, and water treatment, worksites are often miles from home. This destination work can make it expensive and difficult for repairs, maintenance, or even emergency services where specialized workers are needed. Using the HoloLens 2 for remote workers has enabled on the fly changes that previously could have taken months. Programs like RemoteSpark let onsite staff communicate with senior technicians working remotely. And simultaneously can save thousands of dollars and countless hours.
SurePoint Group, an industrial contractor, knows firsthand how much time the HoloLens 2 can save. The company used RemoteSpark enabled machines to reduce the number of highly trained experts they had to send to active sites. Over half a year, the company reported the ability to solve 60 percent of issues without travel. The HoloLens 2 saved an estimated 14 to 20 hours of working time per incident. As of early 2020, the company reported that it has successfully used this remote solution over 300 times. This implementation has dramatically reduced SurePoint’s downtime and increased production and manufacturing levels. By helping companies get up and running faster, the HoloLens 2 literally pays for itself.
Typically, an emergency service call requires almost a full day of travel time plus expenses to get a technician to a remote problem site. And in an industry where downtime can cost over six figures an hour, this can be devastating. But an emergency service call with HoloLens 2 is a much less involved process. Rogers Electric and Machine has seen how much easier the HoloLens 2 makes emergency service. Every time Rogers uses a RemoteSpark enabled HoloLens 2, they save an average of seven thousand dollars. This reduced travel time is a significant bonus for seasoned employees who see the trips as a chore. Plus during this time of the pandemic, worker safety is instantly increased by reducing travel and employee physical contact. This remote work enables employees to connect and creates a more efficient and rewarding work environment.
Field Workers: HoloLens 2 Mixed Reality Use Cases
The HoloLens 2 is more comfortable and easier to interact with than the original HoloLens. These changes have decidedly increased the usefulness of the headset as a tool for productive field work. As augmented reality technology started to gain broader acceptance, field workers all over the world started integrating the original HoloLens in to their daily activities. And as acceptance grew, so did input from industry. Microsoft listened to customer feedback and incorporated many ideas into the new model.
Improved weight distribution and Trimble XR10 turn The HoloLens 2 into an easy to wear hardhat in any environment. Field workers have capitalized on these modifications to train incoming teammates. The US Air Force is even using HoloLens 2 applications to teach jet engine maintenance. Features like Taqtile HoloMaps allow for real-time holographic mapping and environmental augmentation, reducing the need to flip through hundreds of maps to picture worksites. HoloMaps is powerful enough to have applications in utilities and telecommunications.
Utilidata is an energy company dedicated to making our power grid smarter, sustainable and more efficient. Taqtile recently teamed with Utilidata to map the entire power grid across Rhode Island. This experience allows a user to see the changes a modernized grid could offer the city of Providence. Mapping this precise not only impacts the large scale but has small scale implications. Industries like farming can benefit from this highly detailed geographic overlay. By collecting field data and using HoloMaps, the agriculture industry can determine what land grows which type of product best. This data means the HoloLens can assist in the creation of less uniform but extremely efficient farms.
Training and Education: HoloLens 2 Mixed Reality Use Cases
In today’s rapidly evolving modern landscape, education is racing to keep up with the technological advances and requirements of industry. The HoloLens 2 is the perfect tool to lower the entry barrier to these educational advancements. High schools, tech schools, universities and educators worldwide are using HoloLens 2 headsets and applications to help students dive quickly and deeper into their preferred subject matter. The 3D holographic content created by a HoloLens headset allows students and trainees to gain hands-on training. Moving the teaching model from a static 2 dimensional textbook scenario to a 3D holographic scenario provides immediate benefit and quickly increases the rate of student learning. The Holo Classroom is allowing students and trainees to access these Dynamic 3D models. These displays enable a fresh approach to education and a far more intensive experience. When viewed through the HoloLens 2, these holographic images can be manipulated and expanded. This malleability helps students fully understand the source material. In the past, this immersion level required investment in costly machinery and simulation equipment. The HoloLens 2 is infinitely more diverse than these specialized training tools and is often less expensive than the alternatives.
Medical & Healthcare: HoloLens 2 Mixed Reality Use Cases
For a long time, the medical field has relied on the latest technology to improve medicine, and the HoloLens 2 fits right in. The HoloLens 2 possesses both data-to-image rendering and instant device connectivity. These two features allow doctors all over the world to share information and communicate in real-time. This product is creating breakthroughs in how doctors and patients see and understand 3D medical imaging. Medivis is using this product to render high-resolution images that help prevent simple mistakes in clinical settings. Similarly, doctors can use the HoloLens 2 to work together, and we see massive successes from the device in co-operative telemedicine. High definition medical images can save lives, and the HoloLens 2 helps doctors see and share them.
Doctors working with United Imaging are also utilizing the HoloLens 2. MRI based medical imaging could only display body parts in vague sectionals. The new process goes a step forward and lets the doctor over these personal scans directly on to a patient during surgery. This overlay allows surgeons to perform highly precise operations in a safe environment. The HoloLens 2 smoothly renders this medical data into a 3D space, which makes it perfect for surgical applications. United Imaging staff reported high levels of satisfaction when using the device.
Marketing, Art and Design: HoloLens 2 Mixed Reality Use Cases
The HoloLens 2 can create a profoundly immersive mixed reality experience. By rendering and overlaying 3D environments over the real world, the HoloLens 2 is a profoundly influential tool in a consumer’s hands. As a result, we are finding near limitless application in the art and design fields. Similarly, the captivating nature of HoloLens 2 displays are now the medium of some fantastic marketing projects. One perfect example of the marriage of marketing and the HoloLens 2 is the company Enklu.
Enklu is the brainchild of a team of former gaming industry executives that want to make branded content more accessible and engaging through AR. Enklu has helped create AR content for everyone, from museums to arcades and even theme parks. The HoloLens 2 was recently used to create an art exhibit called the unreal garden featured in Forbes.
Mixed Reality Technology Is Expanding to every industry
We have addressed many different fields but have only skimmed the surface of the HoloLens 2 suite of applications. This device is being used in nearly every area to change the way people interact with the world. Another example of this is BMWs new Motorrad designs. A driver would wear a headpiece equipped with a mixed reality headset like the HoloLens 2. This marriage would enable BMW drivers to have real-time heads up display for maps and other important information. It’s clear the HoloLens 2 has a wide range of uses and might be the extra edge you’ve been looking for.
Try Before You Buy: Rent The HoloLens 2
The HoloLens 2 has the potential to save your company significant dollars in operating costs. But the investment is somewhat high if you have never even tested the product. Hartford knows that our customers like to test a product before committing to it, so we offer a try before you buy program for the HoloLens 2. If you think the HoloLens products could help you, test it out! Hartford has units available and tech support to help with any questions you have. Mixed reality is enabling collaboration and solutions that a few years ago were not possible. Contact us today if you’re interested in the HoloLens 2.
Conclusion
The HoloLens 2 is a significant upgrade from the original version. The new device has enabled people to create everything from jet engines to phantasmal animals. The HoloLens products are here to make a difference in the way we live, work and play. Real-time communication features reduce emergency services call times, help teachers and even connect doctors. The headset’s processing power has enabled the mapping of entire states by energy companies. The HoloLens 2 holographic capabilities also easily support 3D rendering; these displays are being used everywhere from health centers to theme parks. Today we outlined several Microsoft HoloLens 2 Use Cases, and in all of these instances, the HoloLens 2 met and exceeded companies’ expectations. While the HoloLens price point is high, we firmly believe it will easily pay for itself in the long run. But if you’re not convinced just yet, Hartford Technology Rentals has a try before you buy program. We are excited to see the capabilities of HoloLens applications grow, and we look forward to telling you even more amazing things this device can do in future blog posts.
Give us a call at 888-520-5669 or find us here on the internet to get your HoloLens 2 rental started.