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Microsoft Gets $22 Billion Pentagon Contract to Produce Augmented Reality Headsets for Soldiers

HeadlineApr 01, 2021

Microsoft has won a Pentagon contract worth nearly $22 billion to produce 120,000 augmented reality headsets for U.S. Army soldiers. Microsoft’s “HoloLens” headsets were first developed for video gamers, combining virtual images with real-world views. The headsets provide a real-time heads-up display that uses artificial intelligence to suggest targets for soldiers’ weapons. In 2019, more than 100 Microsoft engineers wrote in an open letter, “We are alarmed that Microsoft is working to provide weapons technology to the US Military, helping one country’s government 'increase lethality' using tools we built. We did not sign up to develop weapons, and we demand a say in how our work is used.”

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