23 February,2016, USA: Two NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Tim Peake will now have a new weapon in their armoury. The duo will try out Microsoft’s HoloLens in space. In order to check the holographic computing in space, Microsoft gave NASA HoloLens devices to send it to the international Space Station. However, company’s earlier attempt to send HoloLens devices to space had failed miserably due to the SapceX rocket explosion in June.
Kelly took to his twitter and tweeted, “This #saturdaymorning checked out the @Microsoft #HoloLens aboard @Space_Station!”
This #saturdaymorning checked out the @Microsoft #HoloLens aboard @Space_Station! Wow! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/OZlWmzWjsY
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) February 20, 2016
The entire crew tried their hands on the new devices and after facing minor difficulties, the crew got really comfortable with the gadgets. These gadgets enable the users to mix the virtual world with the real one. Microsoft and NASA jointly said that this program is a part of Project Sidekick and this new technology could potentially reduce crew training requirements and increase astronauts’ efficiency in space.
With the addition of this new technology, astronauts will be able to make contact with people on Earth through various ways. Some of the features of the gadgets such as ‘Remote Expert Mode’ (which allows the user to access Skype and can see what crew members can see), and other communication features make the gadget unique and one of the fastest communicating devices. It also enables the operator to virtually draw notes in a crew member’s environment to help with complex repair tasks. This technology will eliminate the old orthodox methods of communicating via writing and voice instruction.
