HoloLens 2 arrives in Portugal for a price of 3,899 euros

The mixed reality system aims to boost industry and different sectors of activity, from healthcare to factories and remote maintenance services.

It's been over a year since the HoloLens 2 arrived on the Portuguese market, since it was announced at the Mobile World Congress in February 2019. Microsoft's new mixed reality system then surprised us with its demonstration of real-time translation, which looked like a person was speaking a language other than their own, thanks to its pairing with Azure's artificial intelligence.

The system has arrived in Portugal, as part of a range of new European countries that have also received the device. The HoloLens 2 is priced at 3,899 euros and can be purchased from Microsoft's online store. In addition to Azure services, the headset is compatible with Dynamics 365 and Power Apps, "making it the smartest peripheral device on the market", the manufacturer points out.

The HoloLens 2 has attracted attention in different sectors of activity, from healthcare to factories and remote maintenance. Microsoft says that the new device offers an immersive and comfortable virtual reality experience that benefits from the reliability, security and scalability of Microsoft's cloud and artificial intelligence services.

In its announcement, NextBITT stated that Microsoft's new mixed reality glasses were created specifically to meet the needs of companies and applications based in the area of maintenance and asset management, a segment in which the Portuguese technology company specializes, and that it intends to introduce innovative solutions to the market. At the time, Pedro Morais, NextBITT's CTO, told SAPO TEK that HoloLens 2 "has had layout improvements that make it easier to use, by which I mean the increased field of vision, its size and weight distribution".

In another case in Portugal, HoloLens is already being used in an innovative way in healthcare, where the Champalimaud Foundation has been a world pioneer in using the device in surgery on breast cancer patients.

According to Dr. Pedro Gouveia, Researcher and Breast Surgeon at the Champalimaud Foundation, "the quality of life of our patients is fundamental to us and that's why we started working to improve the methods and techniques used in our treatments. We innovated and developed a digital, non-invasive method using Augmented Reality and HoloLens to allow the surgeon to see and locate the tumor inside the patient's body during surgery. This 100% digital and non-invasive method could soon replace all the invasive techniques used today to locate breast tumors, giving women greater comfort."

Microsoft claims that the device gives access to applications and solutions that allow users to learn, communicate and collaborate more effectively, and is the result of advances in hardware development, artificial intelligence and augmented reality. The manufacturer promises the display of more realistic and vibrant holograms, thanks to the doubling of the device's field of vision, which maintains the reference graphic density of 47 pixels per degree of vision, which reduces eye strain. In addition, the equipment substantially improves interaction with holograms, both in terms of eye contact and manipulation, bringing the experience even closer to the real world.

The headset is constructed from carbon fiber with an ergonomic design, offers a more balanced center of gravity and allows the user to slide the glasses over the support structure for greater comfort and flexibility of use, allowing users to quickly switch between tasks with and without virtual support, without taking off the equipment.

News source available for consultation at: Sapo Tek