Seemingly yanked right out of a science-fiction novel, NASA announced on Thursday that it has teamed up with Microsoft on a new project called Sidekick. This project will utilize the Redmond company’s HoloLens technology to provide virtual help to the astronauts manning the International Space Station (ISS). The first two units will be shipped to the ISS by way of SpaceX at the end of the month.
“The goal of Sidekick is to enable station crews with assistance when and where they need it,” NASA said. “This new capability could reduce crew training requirements and increase the efficiency at which astronauts can work in space.”
NASA explains that there are two Sidekick modes. The “Remote Expert Mode” combines with Skype and essentially allows those on the ground to see what the astronaut is doing. This will allow a ground operator to assist in a task in real-time, eliminating the need for written and voice instructions.
Sidekick also has a “Procedure Mode” that projects animated holographic illustrations in HoloLens that blankets the object the astronaut is manipulating. NASA indicated that this mode will be great for long space missions to Mars and beyond that otherwise would have delayed communications. NASA hints that this mode may record procedures to lessen the amount of training.
According to NASA, the software and hardware of the first HoloLens pair will be tested by astronauts in a standalone mode. A second pair will be shipped to the ISS in the near future and will be tested on a network and in Remote Expert Mode. NASA doesn’t expect the Sidekick project to fully begin until the end of 2015.
“Our team is excited to be building virtual and mixed reality tools that will make our explorers more efficient and effective,” said Jeff Norris, project lead for Sidekick and OnSight at JPL. NASA added that the first two HoloLens units have already been tested on NASA’s Weightless Wonder C9 reduced gravity aircraft.
Microsoft’s HoloLens is an untethered see-through holographic “computer” worn on your head. Seen only by the wearer, HoloLens projects high-definition holograms in the user’s line-of-sight. The company boasts that HoloLens will “unlock all-new ways to create, communicate, work, and play.”
HoloLens is expected to ship sometime around Windows 10’s launch window.
From maximumpc
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