Microsoft’s augmented reality (AR) headset, the HoloLens, is being shipped to the US military as part of its 22 billion USD (RM 99 billion) contract.
First shown back in 2015, the headset has long been in development and has yet to see a consumer release date. But according to a Bloomberg article, Microsoft is beginning to ship out the first batch of its HoloLens to the United States Army.
The deal was spotted back in 2018 when the US Army agreed to pay 500 million USD (RM 2.25 billion) for 100,000 prototype headsets for use in training and actual combat.
A government description said that the headset intended to “increase lethality by enhancing the ability to detect, decide, and engage before the enemy.”
While many protested the deal, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella defended their choice because they didn’t want to “withhold technology from institutions that we have elected in democracies to protect the freedoms we enjoy.”
It is a bit of a letdown to see technology better suited for improving our lives be used for warfare instead.
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