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English HoloLens headset tried by NASA in the NEEMO mission
There’s nothing to say: Microsoft’s augmented reality headset, the famous HoloLens, knows how to make people talk. After the demonstration at gamers’ conference, during which Microsoft showed us the future of Minecraft when implemented with augmented reality, we passed directly to the collaboration with NASA and the space missions. In fact, as already said in a previous post, HoloLens will be used on the ISS, the International Space Station, to help astronauts especially for solving technical issues; in particular it will be used in the missions to Mars, where, since of the distance, the communication are delayed (up to 24 minutes!) and this could create complications in case of malfunctioning.
A HoloLens headset would have reached already the International Space Station, but unluckily it was destroyed in the explosion of the Dragon spacecraft the 28th June. Anyway, even if not in space, the device is being tested: part of the equipment to test, in fact, was destined to be tried underwater, in the NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) station, operative 45 feet (17 meters) underwater off the coast of Key Largo, Florida.
This month NEEMO will house four “waternauts” for 14 days: the captain of the mission, Luca Parmitano (a veteran of Expeditions 36-37 in 2013), never-flown astronauts Serena Auñón (NASA) and Norishige Kanai (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and David Coan, NASA EVA management office engineer. Two technicians, who are also professional divers, live with them in the habitat to run the facility. The mission, started the 20th July, will test some equipment (between which a HoloLens headset and a second headset from another manufacturer) in a extreme environment, similar to the space one, and will help the astronauts getting used to the gravity conditions on asteroids (very low) and on Mars (about 1/3 of Earth gravity).
“We can learn about interaction between crewmembers and the ground control,” Parmitano said of the mission in a televised interview on NASA Television. “We can learn about procedures and ways to make our work effective.”
- Pubblicato il Augmented reality @en
HoloLens e NASA portano la realtà aumentata nello spazio!
Microsoft HoloLens è di nuovo sulla bocca di tutti, e questa volta ci porta nello spazio!
Il famoso visore verrà utilizzato per aiutare gli astronauti della NASA durante le missioni fuori dalla Terra: il gadget verrà testato immediatamente sulla Stazione Spaziale Internazionale ISS grazie al Sidekick Project, il progetto che mira a migliorare la vita ed il lavoro degli astronauti, specialmente per quel che riguarda l’addestramento e l’efficienza nel risolvere i problemi, grazie ad un’assistenza costante che li seguirà in ogni momento del bisogno.
Infatti HoloLens servirà proprio a questo: usato nella modalità “Remote Expert Mode”, renderà possibile la connessione via Skype tra un esperto sulla Terra e colui che indossa il visore: l’esperto vedrà con gli occhi dell’astronauta e sarà dunque in grado di aiutarlo nel momento del bisogno. Poiché nello spazio la connessione non è sempre stabile, e spesso è rallentata o in ritardo, il visore sarà operativo anche nella modalità “Procedure”, con istruzioni e video caricati in locale per aiutare gli astronauti a risolvere i problemi principali immediatamente.
“HoloLens e gli altri dispositivi di realtà virtuale e mista sono tecnologie all’avanguardia che possono aiutare a guidare esplorazioni future e fornire nuove competenze a uomini e donne che conducono le difficili ricerche scientifiche sulla ISS,” ha detto in una dichiarazione Sam Scimemi, direttore del programma ISS. “Questa nuova tecnologia può anche potenziare i futuri esploratori che hanno bisogno di maggiore autonomia per il proprio viaggio su Marte.”
Gli HoloLens verranno testati in due diversi momenti e modi:
– un visore è appena partito (il 28 Giugno) con la settimana missione di rifornimento dell’ISS; gli astronauti potranno provarlo e vedere con i propri occhi le sue potenzialità.
– gli HoloLens verranno testati durante la spedizione NEEMO (Extreme Environment Mission Operations) 20, che partirà il prossimo 21 Luglio; i visori verranno provati per due settimane nell’unica stazione di ricerca sottomarina al mondo, Aquarius, da un team di astronauti ed ingegneri.
In questo video potete dare un’occhiata ai primi test del Sidekick Project:
- Pubblicato il Realtà Aumentata
HoloLens and NASA take augmented reality to space!
Microsoft’s HoloLens reaches the augmented reality news again, this time taking us to space.
The famous headset will be used to help NASA Astronauts during the missions out of Earth: they will test the gadget straight away aboard the International Space Station as part of Project Sidekick, a project that will enhance astronauts work and life, especially in the fields of training and task efficiency, through the availability of assistance when and where they need it.
HoloLens, infact, used in “Remote Expert Mode”, will make it possible to connect an expert on Earth via Skype with the wearer: the controller will see what the astronaut is seeing and so will be able to help with maintenance and problems. Since in space the connection isn’t always at its best and often delayed , the headset will also operate in “Procedure Mode”, with local instructions and videos that will help solve the main problems immediately.
“HoloLens and other virtual and mixed reality devices are cutting edge technologies that could help drive future exploration and provide new capabilities to the men and women conducting critical science on the International Space Station,” Sam Scimemi, director of the ISS program, said in a statement. “This new technology could also empower future explorers requiring greater autonomy on the journey to Mars.”
Microsoft HoloLens will be tested in two different times and modalities:
– one headset has just departed June 28, with the SpaceX’s seventh commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station; the astronauts will be able to try it and see its potentialities.
– HoloLens will be tested also during NEEMO (Extreme Environment Mission Operations) expedition 20, starting July 21, where they will be tried for two weeks in the world’s only undersea research station, Aquarius, by a team of astronauts and engineers.
Here you can see the first tests of the Sidekick Project:
- Pubblicato il Augmented reality @en