US Army's Mixed Reality Headset Will Give Soldiers Iron Man-Like Capabilities

U.S. Army soldiers will be feeling a little more like superheroes very soon. The Army has partnered with Microsoft to develop the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) that will allow soldiers in combat to have access to a wearable heads-up display.

The system, a modified version of Microsoft's HoloLens 2, gives the combatant a view of the battlefield that resembles what one sees in games like Call of Duty. Or like what Iron-Man would see through the bult-in display of his suit.

The contract was awarded to Microsoft back in 2018 when they beat out their competitors, and it wasn't just all talk because the second generation of the system is currently in the testing phase. A recent report by Business Insider said one of its reporters was actually able to wear the mixed-reality system and participate in an exercise with soldiers.

Mixed reality goes one step further than augmented reality, by putting fully digital trackable and interactable objects in the user's environment.

This was an unprecedented opportunity for someone outside of the military to get out and test new military technology. According to the report, the technology was better than advertised.

Up-to-date information on the battlefield can provide life-saving time during a mission. The heads-up display is capable of displaying a three-dimensional map, providing waypoints and three-dimensional drawings and renderings of mission objectives, including buildings and of translating documents that are written in a foreign language.

The IVAS system has a low-light vision as well as night vision technology built into the wearable heads up display, allowing the wearer to transition through various stages of lighting and other obstructions, including smoke, without removing the goggles. This is a serious problem that had plagued previous such systems.

The third generation of the system has already been developed and will begin testing very shortly. It is looking like military soldiers will be outfitted with the system as soon as 2022. Systems of this nature will give U.S. soldiers a definite advantage on the battlefield as Russia and China are yet to develop systems capable of keeping pace with it.

This system is way more than just a wearable heads-up display -- it connects with various computer systems that are wearable, as well as weapons sights. The battery pack can last six to eight hours under extreme duress. The goggles of the heads-up display are actually capable of functioning as sensors that can track targets visually, allowing for the wearer to tap into a weapons sight and improve their marksmanship electronically.

Despite not being used quite yet, this is one step closer to making the soldiers of the future more like something out of Call of Duty. It will be very interesting to see what happens when soldiers are outfitted with the system in combat situations.