A common prognosis for the future is that our children no longer have to learn languages. One proponent of this scenario is Microsoft. Following various vision videos showing real-time translators, they are now integrating this feature into the new HoloLens. At their demonstration at this year’s Inspire event the tech giant impressed the audience with a combination of body and speech recognition technology using Azure AI and the new HoloLens.
Demo: The magic of AI neural TTS and holograms at Microsoft Inspire 2019 (Source: Microsoft)
It sounds like a Hollywood movie, but the demo shows the possibilities of Mixed Reality in a business context. At the Inspire event, an almost photorealistic hologram of manager Julia White appeared and delivered part of the keynote in Japanese. A language that the real Julia White didn’t speak.
The hologram technology is not even the most impressive, as it has been demonstrated by Microsoft many times before, but the enormous potential of real-time translation quickly becomes clear. Equipped with the right 3D depth scan camera and Microsoft’s AI-supported translation tool, every employee, speaker or manager could make region-specific speeches or even speak up to 30 languages simultaneously. For anyone who has ever been confronted with real-time translation, this would be a real step forward.
This new application clearly shows that Microsoft, with its HoloLens 2, is increasingly focusing on business applications and, in combination with Azure, is trying to develop applications that can be used beyond industry boundaries.
Post picture: Microsoft
