PTC has announced its Vuforia augmented reality (AR) platform will support Microsoft HoloLens. This capability has been demonstrated at Build 2016, Microsoft’s annual developer conference at San Francisco.
Vuforia allows the HoloLens to connect experiences to specific things in the environment. This capability has been used to create 3D visualisations of various consumer and industrial products. When combined with HoloLens, these 3D visualisations can be expanded and transported to actual size in any environment, providing a more immersive and realistic visualisation experience.
The system can also be used to create guided step-by-step instructions for technicians on products or machinery to help reduce or eliminate dependence on physical manuals.
Jeff Lind, eBusiness Innovation at Caterpillar, said: “AR could help provide hands-free, voice access to visual information as a customer configures a product solution or performs maintenance and repair procedures on the equipment.”
With Vuforia, developers can build a universal Windows platform application that can run on Windows 10 devices such as phones, tablets, VR viewers, and digital eyewear, enabling them to target the broadest range of devices with reliable AR experiences, whether for consumer or enterprise-facing applications.
“We are excited about Microsoft’s vision for Windows 10 and HoloLens,” said Jay Wright, senior vice president and general manager, Vuforia, PTC. “We share this vision, and look forward to enabling new experiences on Windows 10 tablets and HoloLens that will fundamentally change the way we work.”
The Vuforia SDK is expected to be available spring 2016.
Author
Tom Austin-Morgan
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk