Anduril To Take Over Managing Microsoft Goggles for US Army (msn.com) 17
Anduril will take over management and eventual manufacturing of the U.S. Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) from Microsoft, a significant shift in one of the military's most ambitious augmented reality projects.
The deal, which requires Army approval, could be worth over $20 billion in the next decade if all options are exercised, according to Bloomberg. The IVAS system, based on Microsoft's HoloLens mixed reality platform, aims to equip soldiers with advanced capabilities including night vision and airborne threat detection.
Under the new arrangement, Microsoft will transition to providing cloud computing and AI infrastructure, while Anduril assumes control of hardware production and software development. The Army has planned orders for up to 121,000 units, though full production hinges on passing combat testing this year.
The program has faced technical hurdles, with early prototypes causing headaches and nausea among soldiers. The current slimmer version has received better feedback, though cost remains a concern - the Army indicated the $80,000 per-unit price needs to "be substantially less" to justify large-scale procurement.
Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, writing in a blog post: This move has been so many years in the making, over a decade of hacking and scheming and dreaming and building with exactly this specific outcome clearly visualized in my mind's eye. I can hardly believe I managed to pull it off. Everything I've done in my career -- building Oculus out of a camper trailer, shipping VR to millions of consumers, getting run out of Silicon Valley by backstabbing snakes, betting that Anduril could tear people out of the bigtech megacorp matrix and put them to work on our nation's most important problems -- has led to this moment. IVAS isn't just another product, it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine how technology supports those who serve. We have a shot to prove that this long-standing dream is no windmill, that this can expand far beyond one company or one headset and act as a a nexus for the best of the best to set a new standard for how a large collection of companies can work together to solve our nation's most important problems.
The deal, which requires Army approval, could be worth over $20 billion in the next decade if all options are exercised, according to Bloomberg. The IVAS system, based on Microsoft's HoloLens mixed reality platform, aims to equip soldiers with advanced capabilities including night vision and airborne threat detection.
Under the new arrangement, Microsoft will transition to providing cloud computing and AI infrastructure, while Anduril assumes control of hardware production and software development. The Army has planned orders for up to 121,000 units, though full production hinges on passing combat testing this year.
The program has faced technical hurdles, with early prototypes causing headaches and nausea among soldiers. The current slimmer version has received better feedback, though cost remains a concern - the Army indicated the $80,000 per-unit price needs to "be substantially less" to justify large-scale procurement.
Anduril founder Palmer Luckey, writing in a blog post: This move has been so many years in the making, over a decade of hacking and scheming and dreaming and building with exactly this specific outcome clearly visualized in my mind's eye. I can hardly believe I managed to pull it off. Everything I've done in my career -- building Oculus out of a camper trailer, shipping VR to millions of consumers, getting run out of Silicon Valley by backstabbing snakes, betting that Anduril could tear people out of the bigtech megacorp matrix and put them to work on our nation's most important problems -- has led to this moment. IVAS isn't just another product, it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine how technology supports those who serve. We have a shot to prove that this long-standing dream is no windmill, that this can expand far beyond one company or one headset and act as a a nexus for the best of the best to set a new standard for how a large collection of companies can work together to solve our nation's most important problems.
How bad was this managed??? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Doubt this even tops the top 100 of Defense Dept cost overrun / boondoggles.
But I think we are seeing a(nother) example of the 'friends-and-family' payout from current administration. Anduril, the super hip, cool drone company with only about $300 million in gross sales, is somehow going to be in charge of a $20 billion dollar government contract. Definitely not related to the CEO Palmer Lucky, hosting fundraisers during the presidential campaign etc.
I get it, he tried with Oculus...so there is something
Re: (Score:1)
My friend was encouraging me to apply and he'd recommend me. Seemed like something I'd be into doing. So I took a look at the project
tolkein (Score:2, Interesting)
why isnt the tolkein estate taking all these military industrial complex fuckwads to court for using their nouns?
Re: (Score:2)
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Yeah. Dungeons and Dragons wasn't even allowed to use the word "hobbit" to mean "a short fuzzy-footed person who goes on adventures".
Tas is about to sick Flint on you! And the last thing you want is a grumpy old dwarf following you around griping about that blasted Kender interrupting his nap!
Re: (Score:2)
Ents became treants. Balrog became type VI demon and also removed in other areas. This was early rules changes, as D&D became popular enough for the Tolkien estate to notice. Since then with many more rule changes, mithril is now mithral, and there may be others I dont remember.
Re: (Score:2)
They didn't go after Seymore Duncan for Nazgul either. Clearly, they haven't paid attention to the sue-happy nature of the business world.
A decade of work and this is what we get? (Score:2)
Guess we'll never see this program get cut to save money. Instead, there will be no limit to the amount of taxpayer money used to prop up another boondoggle, just like the F-35 [airandspaceforces.com].
Re: (Score:2)
now only if there was some kind of government initiative to find and cut out this kind of waste.
Oh wait, they're too busy being on the revenge tour and shutting down life-saving aid to the poors to worry about billions in military waste.
Microsoft Goggles: (Score:2)
Why that OS you installed last night isn't as "shiny" as you thought.
Apple Vision Pro (Score:2)
Lex Luthor (Score:2)
Be careful when you're trying to be Tony Stark that you don't become Lex Luthor.
Snake-oil salesman (Score:2)
My patented new medicine will cure everything: Buy it, today. You'll become a whole, new nation.
Disclaimer: "Bacon" may not contain bacon.
The goggles turn all the civvies you're killing... (Score:2)