Introduce you some new products from the Microsoft Developer Conference

At this year's Microsoft Developer Conference (yesterday), Microsoft did not talk too much about HoloLens and MR (mixed reality) itself. Instead, it launched two HoloLens MR applications: Microsoft Remote Assist and Microsoft Layout. They can be applied in manufacturing, agriculture, engineering, medical, retail, and other fields, and will be released on May 22 this year. Both MR applications are designed for front-line employees and Microsoft describes it as the first point of contact between the company and its customers - these employees are directly involved in product manufacturing. And these first-line employees are expected to have 2 billion, accounting for 80% of the global labor force.

1. Microsoft Remote Assist

The Microsoft Remote Assistance application can help front-line employees collaborate remotely with others through single-video calls, image sharing, mixed reality annotations, etc., and frontline employees can access services on any device and then solve problems or complete tasks. Specifically there are three capabilities here:

For one thing, collaborate from a shared perspective, video calls by HoloLens and Microsoft Teams experts, and image sharing, MR annotations, etc., can enable front-line employees and experts to collaborate to solve problems over long distances. Both parties can use MR ink and arrows to annotate the shared picture. The annotation can be directly added to the HoloLens vr glasses user's view using an external device (such as an iPhone) for input.

Second, communication security allows users to control access to remote communications through Azure Active Directory login and mobile device management.

Third, to improve efficiency, front-line workers and experts can accurately identify problems by integrating realistic annotations, live broadcasts, and video capture. Experts do not need to arrive at the scene and speed up troubleshooting.

Microsoft stated that since HoloLens was released in March 2016, customer feedback over the two years has shown that remote assistance is a very promising MR application. This is also true for spatial planning, training, product development collaboration, and access to spatial data from IoT devices.

2. Microsoft Layout

Microsoft Layout allows customers to design spaces in mixed reality by using HoloLens. Users can import 3D models to create a spatial layout that is consistent with the actual size, treating the design as a high-quality hologram in physical space or virtual reality, and share and edit with real people.

In the demonstration session, Microsoft demonstrated the application of the ZF Group, a German automotive parts manufacturer, to the MR. HoloLens users can manipulate the 3D model of the plant equipment to prepare for the actual layout of the equipment. ZF Group employees said that this kind of equipment that is used to visualize space through AR and visualize in the form of AR is much more efficient than the previous forms of taking photos and taking screenshots.