Anduril Industries, founded by Oculus VR creator Palmer Luckey, formed a strategic partnership with Microsoft to enhance the U.S. Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS). The collaboration involves integrating Anduril’s advanced Lattice platform into the IVAS.
The Microsoft-powered headsets will be able to provide soldiers with real-time battlefield data from various sources such as drones, ground vehicles, and air defense systems.
Palmer Luckey, who sold Oculus to Meta for $2 billion in 2014 and started Anduril in 2017 with backing from Peter Thiel, expressed his vision for this technology.
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“The goal is to augment soldier capabilities by providing soldiers with the ability to perceive threats outside of typical audio and visual ranges,” Luckey said.
He also emphasized the transformative potential of this technology on soldier performance and survivability in contested environments.
The IVAS system, initially launched by Microsoft in 2021, incorporates both thermal and night vision technologies but faced early challenges such as headaches and eyestrain. Microsoft has since made significant design improvements and expects further refinements following extensive testing scheduled for early 2025.
The U.S. Army committed to investing up to $21.9 billion in this project over the next decade, underscoring the strategic importance and long-term commitment to integrating advanced technologies in military operations.
Tags: Big Tech, Department of Defense, Drones, Microsoft, Tech, Technology, U.S. Army, U.S. military, Virtual reality
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
FOR THE BETTER PART OF A DECADE – THE US ARMY HAS BEEN WORKING ON PREPARING THE SOLDIERS OF TOMORROW.
THAT EFFORT GOT A BOOST THIS WEEK – AS THE FOUNDER OF ANDURIL INDUSTRIES ANNOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP WITH MICROSOFT TO DEVELOP AUGMENTED REALITY GEAR FOR THE ARMED SERVICES.
INSPIRED BY THE FUTURISTIC VISIONS OF ‘STARSHIP TROOPERS’ – ANDURIL IS LOOKING TO DEVELOP CUTTING-EDGE TECH TO THE TUNE OF A NEARLY 22-BILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT.
THE COLLABORATION FOCUSES ON INCORPORATING ANDURIL’S LATTICE PLATFORM INTO AN AUGMENTED REALITY HEADSET , WHICH WILL EQUIP SOLDIERS WITH CRUCIAL LIVE BATTLEFIELD DATA SOURCED FROM DRONES, GROUND VEHICLES, AND AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS.
THE FOUNDER OF ANDURIL, PALMER LUCKEY, SOLD THE OCULUS HEADSET TO META FOR 2-BILLION-DOLLARS.
AND SINCE PIVOTED TO DEVELOPING A-R TECH FOR THE BATTLEFIELD.
LUCKEY AIMS TO EQUIP SOLDIERS WITH SUPERHUMAN SENSORY PERCEPTIONS THAT CAN DETECT THREATS BEYOND TYPICAL AUDITORY AND VISUAL RANGES, MAKING THEM MORE EFFECTIVE AND SAFER IN COMBAT.
ANDURIL’S SYSTEM WAS INITIALLY DEVELOPED IN 2021, AND COMBINED THERMAL AND NIGHT VISION CAPABILITIES, HOWEVER MANY USERS COMPLAINED ABOUT HEADACHES AND EYESTRAIN DURING TESTING.
THE U-S ARMY PLANS TO INVEST UP TO $21.9 BILLION OVER THE NEXT DECADE, BETTING BIG ON THIS TECHNOLOGY TO MAINTAIN A CRITICAL EDGE IN FUTURE CONFLICTS.
THIS PROJECT NOT ONLY REPRESENTS A MAJOR LEAP FORWARD IN MILITARY TECHNOLOGY BUT ALSO SHOWS THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF HARNESSING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF AUGMENTED REALITIES ON a changing BATTLEFIELD.
FOR MORE OF OUR UNBIASED — STRAIGHT FACTS REPORTING — DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT US AT SAN – DOT – COM.
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