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Microsoft won a US $ 480 million contract with the US Army on prototypes related to so-called visual augmentation systems. According to Bloomberg, the US military will be equipped with 100,000 HoloLens mixed reality helmets (initially 2,500 in the next two years). Magic Leap was also a candidate for such a contract.
" Augmented reality technology will provide troops with more and better information to make decisions. This new work extends our long-standing relationship of trust with the Department of National Defense "said a spokesman for Microsoft.
According to Bloomberg, the HoloLens helmet will be an evolution of the existing design, including integration of thermal detection, night vision, vital signs measurement, hearing protection for use in training and a priori on the battlefield .
Last month, Google gave up participating in the JEDI project (Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure) for a redesign of the Pentagon's cloud computing infrastructure, including ethical considerations. Microsoft (like Amazon) is still in the ranks and defended its position.
" Artificial intelligence, augmented reality and other technologies raise new and deeply important issues, including the ability of weapons to act autonomously. […] No army in the world wants to wake up to discover that machines have unleashed a war ", said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft.
" But we can not expect these new developments to be approached wisely if people who know the most about technology withdraw from discussions. "
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