Microsoft Unveils Mesh Platform for Mixed Reality Interaction

Microsoft Unveils Mesh Platform for Mixed Reality Interaction

As part of the Ignite 2021 conference, Microsoft has unveiled a new mixed reality platform called Mesh. With its help, users will interact with each other and virtual objects, being physically in different places. The platform allows you to transfer photorealistic images in mixed reality, as well as use virtual avatars.

The company notes that the Mesh platform can be used in different scenarios, for example, to organize a joint virtual presence in a meeting room. The platform will also form the basis for a future ecosystem of applications supporting this technology. The corresponding software will allow you to perform various tasks, including organizing virtual trips to different parts of the world, designing buildings by creating virtual copies, and much more.

Most modern VR headsets and tablets, computers, and smartphones can be used to interact with the virtual space. Naturally, the platform supports Microsoft’s own HoloLens 2 VR headset. The Mesh platform, based on the Azure cloud service, data processing tools, and artificial intelligence technologies, is currently available in test form. Customers can also request access to a version of the meeting app using AltspaceVR avatars, giving companies the ability to host corporate meetings with secure login and privacy tools. Next year, Microsoft will introduce additional features and add them to its Teams video conferencing service.

During the platform’s presentation, Microsoft representative Alex Kipman spoke about the new product and its capabilities using his own holographic avatar, using the HoloLens and HP Reverb headsets for this. He noted that the platform provides a complete sense of presence and can be useful not only for organizing meetings but also in many cases where interaction between employees is necessary. Microsoft is confident that the platform will be in demand among designers, architects, engineers, and other professionals who, for some reason, cannot be physically in the same room.