Disregard Mixed Reviews of Mixed Reality
The Revolution Won’t Be Televised, It’ll Be Programmed in Extended Reality
Extended-reality (XR) technology is often described as a paradigm shift, a new universe of possibilities in which humans can effortlessly interact with each other and limitless information—either in the same room, or from anywhere on earth (or space!). But paradigm shifts are hard, and expectations difficult to manage when a whole new mode of computing is leaping to life.
As an 18-year Microsoft veteran who built the world’s first commercial mixed-reality HoloLens business before I left in 2021, I have a highly disposed point of view about the viability of this technology—though I was a skeptic before taking the job! It wasn’t clear to me back in 2017 that we were offering any real value, nor that anyone would care. As I dove into the platform, however, I was quickly convinced that this is the next major computing evolution alongside quantum and AI, both of which will make the mixed-reality experience more efficient, compelling, and ubiquitous. And I’m not alone in this point of view.
“Augmented reality will take some time to get right… but it will happen in a big way, and we will wonder when it does, how we ever lived without it. Like we wonder how we lived without our phone today.… I think AR is a profound technology that will affect everything.” —Tim Cook, Apple CEO
While the MR category is still in its infancy, there are a growing number of use cases that are nothing short of extraordinary. I experienced the promise of the platform when I first visited the Interactive Commons team at Case Western Reserve University and observed the way they had transformed Human Anatomy pedagogy—without using costly, problematic cadavers. They designed a program for HoloLens called the HoloAnatomy® learning platform that transforms images into 3-D models of the human body, enabling students to explore the shape and movement of our bones, organs, and intricate systems from every angle, and from anywhere in the world. Or, importantly, while in the same room, making eye contact, sharing a real-world experience enriched by the miraculous appearance of interactive holographic models that will forever change education.
More than a dozen pilot studies have since revealed astonishing results:
Medical students learned anatomical content twice as fast compared to traditional cadaveric dissection.
Medical students retained information 44% better when tested on the same content eight months later.
The response from universities using the software—like Northwestern and TCU—is equally profound. Seven years later, with thousands of students at 18 academic institutions now using the software every day, we’re witnessing a dramatic shift in how students are developing a working understanding of the human body.
In my 35-year career in technology, I’ve never experienced anything more visceral and emotionally compelling than the HoloAnatomy software in action; it completely captivates the imagination while more efficiently, cost-effectively improving learning outcomes.
“Augmented reality is perhaps the ultimate computer.” —Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO
And this paradigm shift goes way beyond medical education. Mixed-reality applications are transforming industries ranging from construction to manufacturing, from cultural anthropology to space exploration. If you can imagine it, you can create a functional holographic image of it, place it in the real world, and interact with it in concert with colleagues, students, coworkers, professors, front-line workers—you name it. Truly mind blowing.
So despite the very real human cost for those who’ve recently been let go from the tech sector, the mixed-reality revolution is just getting started.
Despite wild, fruitless speculation in the tech media, Microsoft has been unwavering in its support of mixed reality. And Apple’s recent delay of their mixed-reality device is simply proof that the company is waiting until they’ve got something great to unveil.
"Over the past year, Microsoft has made significant investments in the HoloLens 2 platform." —Microsoft “Source”
There has been incredible traction in the mixed reality commercial space, with the technology being used to build planes, buildings, and cars while also informing the next generation of healthcare professionals. Big Tech has billions invested in MR hardware, and R&D budgets continue to grow. There is far too much progress and sustained investment in the category for it to slow, at this point. The incredible transformation it engenders has been well established, and as equipment costs continue to drop and innovative applications continue to rise, the new opportunities and competitive differentiation made possible by this sea change in our computing landscape are only the prelude to what’s to come.
Case in point: A lot of great companies are hiring in this space, including us (😊).
