Anduril Industries to lead development of tactical VR/AR goggles for US military

US military technology company Anduril Industries will take over the development and production of tactical virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) goggles for the US Armed Forces.

This announcement was made by Palmer Luckey, the founder of Anduril and inventor of the Oculus Rift VR headset, in a blog post, Caliber.Az reports via US media.

“To date, Anduril Industries is leading the largest and most unprecedented project of its kind: the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) program,” Luckey wrote. “This technology will transcend the limitations of the human body and mind by combining enhanced humans with large groups of robots and living companions.”

The IVAS project, which began in 2018 under Microsoft Corporation, was initially based on Microsoft’s commercial HoloLens VR glasses. The project, estimated to cost $22 billion, aimed to create advanced tactical goggles for the military. Anduril had previously worked with Microsoft to integrate its Lattice threat-monitoring software into the IVAS system.

The transfer of control over the IVAS system from Microsoft to Anduril comes amidst delays and challenges in the project’s implementation. Microsoft had already tested two IVAS prototypes, receiving feedback from military personnel who experienced issues such as nausea and dizziness.

According to statements from both companies, Anduril will now take the lead on the development and production of IVAS, with Microsoft continuing to provide cloud storage and artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the goggles. The two companies have described their new collaboration as an “expanded partnership,” with the project still awaiting further approval from the US Department of Defence.

The goal of the IVAS goggles is to provide soldiers with an augmented reality system that allows them to quickly assess their environment with AI assistance and communicate with fellow units via voice and text.

The third IVAS prototype, IVAS 1.2, is currently under development, with improvements including a dim-light camera, enhanced focus mechanisms, stronger mounts and housing, and a better display. If successfully tested, these goggles could soon be deployed to US military units.

By Tamilla Hasanova