Microsoft Mesh Makes Its Way To Holodeck

Redmond is currently working on new mixed reality solutions to transform the living room or conference room into a Star Trek-like holodeck. The Microsoft Mash platform presented during the Ignite Conference 2021 is intended to represent a further step towards the future of augmented reality and will soon move into Microsoft Teams and Dynamics 365. The focus is on a new form of cooperation, which should not only be of interest to business customers but also to ordinary consumers.

With small steps towards the holodeck for professional and private users

” Microsoft Mesh gives users the feeling of really being together in the same place during online meetings or other forms of virtual teamwork. Users get the impression of being in one room together, even if they are in different places There are continents. Mesh-enabled apps offer the possibility of interacting with one another via 3D content, “said the Redmond-based company in a recently published press release. Although a focus on the business environment can be seen in which Microsoft is also placing its own AR headset HoloLens, the company seems to be going one step further.

Microsoft sees the advantages of its new mesh platform in travel agencies that offer virtual sightseeing tours or with architects and brokers who guide customers virtually through their buildings. Especially in times of the coronavirus pandemic, augmented reality (AR) seems to be an opportunity to open up new opportunities for companies and entire industries to connect with customers despite the distance to their local services. That Microsoft is not alone with its vision of the future is shown by recently surfaced videos from the South Korean manufacturer Samsung, which could also focus on private customers with its “Smart Glasses”.

Mesh should appear soon as part of Microsoft Teams and within the all-in-one business software Dynamics 365. Compatibility is promised for the in-house HoloLens 2 and various VR headsets. Likewise, users should be able to connect to 3D sessions with the help of smartphones, tablets and Windows PCs.

But while the future music sounds good, at least in a first video and on paper, practical applications of the new technology remain to be seen.