Virtual reality has been a concept that engineers, graphic designers, and every little kid has dreamed of for years. In recent years game developers have begun to make this dream a reality with the oculus rift and other such headsets. However, an emerging idea in technology today is augmented reality, which is a blend of reality and virtual reality. The iPad app Aurasma has been designing augmented reality pictures that allow the user to see a 3D moving picture through the iPad. The picture is overlaid on reality, for example the user might see a dinosaur prancing around on their algebra homework or virtual warriors dueling on the kitchen table. Augmented reality thus far has been limited to apps that only allow you to see the augmentation through the device. However, in recent years and even months Microsoft has designed a wearable headset that overlays augmented reality on everything the user sees.
Microsoft Hololens is similar to the idea of Google Glass, which was sadly cancelled, in that it overlays your vision with virtual objects and resembles a pair of glasses. Where Hololens differs from Google Glass is that notifications are not brought up in front of you, but displayed on everyday objects. As CNET said "read your email on your fridge, get Facebook notifications from your toaster, and watch the latest news on your cupboards". Unlike Google Glass or Aurasma, Microsoft Hololens is interactive and you have to physically move around to get to different settings. For more information click here to go to Microsoft's website. Hololens is still a relatively new product that hasn't been made accessible by the public yet; however, click here to see a pretty convincing demo of the product.
Hololens has huge ramification for education. As teachers we strive to teach our students in every learning style, but for some concepts and ideas that just isn't physically possible. With Microsoft’s Hololens we could reach the visual, kinesthetic, audio, and reading/writing learners. Imagine a geometry teacher able to create a regular icosahedron in a shared augmented reality. The students could twist and manipulate the object. This ability to create 3D objects would greatly increase the learning of students in all subject areas. As a teacher, I would use this technology to show my students concepts and allow them to manipulate graphs and shapes in real time. There are many uses for this device, several of which have been named here and several more can be seen in the Microsoft Hololens trailer below. Enjoy!
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