Microsoft Hololens 2 MIT Upgrade Lets You See Through Walls
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology installed a program in a Microsoft Hololens 2 so that it could give people “x-ray vision.” You know, one of Superman’s abilities (sort of)!
The MIT upgrade lets wearers see objects with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags obstructed by solid objects.
As a result, the technology could expand the real-life applications of augmented reality. For example, it could help retailers locate warehouse goods quickly.
How does the Microsoft Hololens 2 use “x-ray vision?”
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The MIT researchers named their technology X-AR, which uses wireless signals and computer vision to let people see things invisible to the naked eye.
It combines “high-tech antennas, wireless signal processing algorithms, and AI-based fusion of different sensors.“
The AR-conformal wide-band antenna provides the Microsoft Hololens 2 with Radio Frequency (RF) sensing features.
Moreover, the accessory is lightweight, flexible, and fits on existing headsets without blocking the camera or the user’s view.
The AR-Based SAR localization algorithm combines visual sensing from the headset’s camera and RF sensing from the antenna.
Consequently, you could detect RF-tagged objects as you walk naturally.
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Lastly, RF-Visual Verification merges RF and human visions to deliver actionable tasks such as picking verification.
The MIT researchers claim X-AR achieves 95% accuracy in picking verification. Also, it can locate items measuring less than a foot or 9.8 cm.
MIT shared a demo video of the technology, showing how a warehouse worker could use it. The Microsoft Hololens 2 helps them locate a specific shirt among piles of boxes.
What are the uses of X-AR?
MIT created an augmented reality headset that enables users to see hidden objects. pic.twitter.com/KUME6QdpnD
— AI Breakfast (@AiBreakfast) March 7, 2023
X-AR could enable Microsoft Hololens 2 to become useful in retail, warehousing, manufacturing, and e-commerce fulfillment.
The woman wearing the AR goggles tapped in the air to interact with a menu. She received a notification to find the clothing, Then, she selected the “Finding Object” option.
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The Hololens highlights the shirt’s location in the lady’s view to show where it is. Then, she locates the object and changes her status to “Object found.”
That could become useful for businesses that need to immediately find delivery items in their wide inventories.
Conclusion
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created augmented reality tech that adds x-ray vision to Microsoft Hololive 2.
However, the tech firm must lower the price of its AR glasses to expand its applications. At the time of writing, the Hololens 2 costs an eye-watering $3,500 or roughly ₱188,147!
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