ARGO by DigiLens

In this article I make two arguments:

❶ If your company has been implementing an enterprise or industrial AR solution on HoloLens or MagicLeap and you’re now wondering where to go—especially if your work environment requires a ruggedized device—you should be looking at ARGO by DigiLens. We will explore use cases.

❷ The cancellation of the HoloLens has thrown Microsoft’s military contract for IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System) into limbo. Microsoft is exploring a military-only option that remains up in the air, and have also brought in Anduril as a partner.

Some business narrative is also included…

There is a strong case for migrating to DigiLens’ ARGO for the U.S. military’s IVAS platform, and if ARGO is a ruggedized solution, solid enough for the U.S. military, enterprise and industrial users will find that it exceeds their expectations.

ARGO is DigiLens’ standalone AR smart glasses platform, designed for enterprise and industrial workflows. It is the preeminent ruggedized stereoscopic smart glasses platform available, and on the market, now.

DigiLens is an American company, based in Sunnyvale, CA. They are not newcomers. Founded over twenty years ago, DigiLens has weathered the storms that have seen other competitors come and go. Their core technology has always been display tech.

I demoed ARGO earlier this year at AWE 2024 Long Beach. I had previous demoed DigiLens’ Crystal30 display used in the ARGO glasses, and did not need to be further sold on the quality of their waveguides, but the platform as a whole is much more than just DigiLens’ world class display technology.

To demonstrate ARGO’s rugged design, the DigiLens team member slammed them to the floor—he did not drop them, I reiterate, he slammed them to the ground. Their booth did have some low-pile commercial carpeting… but still. He then gave them a smack on the counter, before tossing them tumbling across its hard surface. Impressive enough once, but perhaps the greater testament to their durability was that he and his DigiLens colleagues performed such demonstrations on the ARGO for three days, showing a high level of confidence in ARGO’s resilience.

In the military’s assessment of Microsoft HoloLens for use in the last iteration of IVAS, perhaps their most damning evaluation was HoloLens’ lack of ruggedness—HoloLens was deemed too fragile for the battlefield. There is no other more rugged headset / smart glasses on the market than ARGO.

ARGO is also modular.

One among many incremental improvements, the U.S. Army had Microsoft produce a “flip-up display” version of HoloLens, and such a feature is a mandatory for consideration for the IVAS system. DigiLens’ ARGO has removable ear-horns, revealing hinge connectors that attaches to ARGO’s own HALO branded visor peripheral. With ARGO’s modular platform, the hinge connectors can easily be adapted for a helmet.

The HALO visor accommodates for enough space, for those who wish to use the ARGO with their own prescription lenses. If however the wearer wishes, corrective lens can be ordered, that snap into ARGO itself, via a partnership with Frame of Choice.

I approached DigiLens about this article, and was alerted to a pre-existing relationship with Microsoft, an important partner of theirs. I suggest that this is a good thing. Ultimately Microsoft is a software company who is discontinuing their own commercial AR hardware platform. DigiLens is a hardware manufacturer with a core competency in near-eye display technology. DigiLens does not have the scale that Microsoft has to deliver on software solutions. If Microsoft is getting out of the AR headset business, DigiLens won’t be competing with them when being considered for IVAS, rather they can be the Army’s hardware solution, leaving each to focus on what they do best.

DigiLens already holds an Authority to Operate (ATO) with the U.S. military, enabling its technology to be deployed in military environments; and ARGO has ATAK integration, making it plug-and-play for military deployment.

We’re going to get to use cases — both military, and industrial — in a moment, but I’m going to insert an anecdote of my own here, that inspired this ARGO review:

	In 2018, I relocated from the Bay Area back to New York City (for unrelated personal reasons), where a friend had recently joined United Technologies Digital (UTD). At the time their parent company United Technologies (UT)—a conglomerate serving architectural-engineering and aerospace markets—was in the process of acquiring RockwellCollins, and facing pressure from activist investors to break up the company, led by Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital. CEO Gregory Hayes opposed the breakup insisting synergies could be leveraged between these otherwise disparate markets. UTD was created partly as a commitment to pursuing these synergies, functioning as a software subsidiary with internal UT clients, as well as an accelerator connecting UT with NYC’s startup scene. RockwellCollins had a relationship with DigiLens including co-development of the AR headset military platform, IDVS (Integrated Digital Vision System), a precursor to IVAS. My pitch to UTD was to use Rockwell’s IDVS AR headset for industrial applications across other UT business units. In addition to showcasing further synergy—supporting Hayes’ case to the shareholders—it could also generate internal revenue for UTD, as specialized software would need to be developed for each deployment. Initially, I had focused on Otis Elevator, as there was, and remains, a widespread shortage of tradesmen for elevator installation and maintenance (more on this later). However, UTD’s most active internal clients were Pratt & Whitney and Carrier HVAC. UTD management also noted a general lack of knowledge about augmented reality within the company. Hence, my executive presentation grew to include an educational overview of AR, including a primer on waveguide technology; an overview of Rockwell’s IDVS device (highlighting related IP, jointly held with DigiLens); culminating with two competitive case studies: one implementing an AR headset that boosted productivity in jet engine assembly at GE, to make the case for Pratt & Whitney; and the other using an AR headset for quality control and optimization in commercial HVAC installation by Mortenson, making the case for Carrier. The intention had been to coordinate the presentation for when Gary Hayes and other members of management, based up in Connecticut, would be in New York City. While this timing did not work, interest in the presentation grew internally, so we moved it to the company lecture hall where all employees were invited, while Hayes and other members of management in Connecticut would join via video stream, which was then made available company wide. Though the presentation was well-received, management did not move forward with an engagement—I was given warm intros to virtually all their subsidiaries (including Rockwell), but regulatory scrutiny over the acquisition and uncertainty surrounding a potential breakup put any new outside engagements on hold. A few weeks later, in November of 2018… On November 26, United Technologies Corp. announced the completion of their acquisition of RockwellCollins. On the same day, they also announced the breakup of the conglomerate (Bill Ackman won), spinning off their architectural engineering holdings. Two days later on November 28, the U.S. Army awarded Microsoft a contract to develop the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) using their HoloLens AR headset. I have no source suggesting that the later was a direct result of the former, but awarding the IVAS platform to Microsoft did move the U.S. military’s research and investment in AR headsets for the battlefield from RockwellCollins’ IDVS to Microsoft and the IVAS platform… and if I had been at Microsoft, I certainly would have seen this as a window of opportunity. We’ll recap the progress of all of this M&A at the end of this article, but for now…

Let’s get back to DigiLens ARGO…

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, carries a unique legacy. Born from the urgency of the Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory played a pivotal role in the development of the atomic bomb. This historical context provides the crucial backdrop for understanding the mission of the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC). While ORNL continues to push the boundaries of scientific discovery, ORETTC focuses on a critical and evolving challenge: preparing first responders to effectively handle high-consequence radiological and nuclear material response scenarios. Building upon the region’s historical expertise in nuclear science and technology, ORETTC leverages this legacy to train and equip emergency personnel with the knowledge and skills necessary to safeguard communities and mitigate potential threats.

Launched in January, 2023, the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC) is leveraging augmented reality (AR) to modernize training and operational capabilities. In collaboration with DigiLens and their ARGO smart glasses, the ORETTC integrates spatial computing to enhance efficiency, safety, and training outcomes for first responders and nuclear operations professionals, including real-time data visualization, remote expert guidance, and hands-free operation in complex and hazardous scenarios, thus improving decision-making and operational precision in the field​.

The U.S. labor market faces significant shortages of skilled tradesmen. Since my aforementioned proposal to UT for OTIS elevator servicemen, this has not change. It has not changed for elevator service technicians, nor has it changed for virtually any and all tradesmen in the U.S. labor market.

Today, however, there is a mature software product that addresses this problem.

Where my past proposal to OTIS/UT involved UTD developing their own software in-house, Manifest by Taqtile is an off-the-shelf product that is the state of the art in AR, for enterprise scale instructional content, for both military and industrial applications.

Manifest by Taqtile is the preeminent professional-grade AR software for heads-up and hands-free training and maintenance, manufacturing, and inspection, with spatially anchored content & remote assistance.

Training a new generation of tradesman is mission critical for American success.

With the launch of ARGO in January 2023, it was announced by May that DigiLens and Taqtile would be collaborating to port Manifest to the ARGO platform. The ARGO native version of Manifest launched in June of 2024.

Of the major AR headsets used in the field: Manifest launched on Microsoft HoloLens in 2017. Manifest launched on MagicLeap in 2018. Manifest launched on Apple Vision Pro in 2024.

In October 2024, Microsoft discontinued HoloLens. MagicLeap discontinued their headset last month, and Apple killed the Vision Pro the same month Manifest was ported.

A stand-alone device, ARGO is the most rugged AR headset / smart glasses device on the market. If you want to deploy Taqtile’s Manifest software on a smart glasses device suitable for industrial environments, available and shipping now, ARGO is the only real choice.

The Taqtile website has an exceptional library of use cases for businesses already using their product in the field, and on the factory floor. A combination of spatially anchored instructional content, augmented with remote assistance pulled from a company’s near retirement workforce will be able train a new tradesmen workforce, as well as digitally capture a company’s institutional memory from their most seasoned tradesmen.

Manifest also has a companion product, Manifest Maker—an Apple iOS based, no-code developer environment, that employs AI to transcribe and segment existing or new videos into step-by-step text instructions that can be augmented with images, text notes, PDFs, and video clips.

Download Taqtile Manifest Maker from the Apple App Store. Play with it. See how easy it is. Publish to Manifest… then go get your ARGOs.

The evolution of drones (like most electronic apparatus) is to imbue them with intelligence, and grant them a great deal more autonomy. The unloading of decision making to a coordinated group on devices will only continue, and surely accelerate.

In the existing user interface (UI), a proprietary device for both controlling the drone, and viewing through its camera(s) on a screen on that device, is also going to evolve. Just as the smartphone ate most all formerly single-purposes devices, smart glasses are going to eat many single purpose controllers as well. Given that a drone’s controller is a cumbersome extra piece of equipment to lug around, and requires both hands to operate, puts a soldier in a vulnerable position, in a high-risk environment where a distraction can be a matter of life and death.

Skydio’s autonomous capabilities are the industry standard. With its sophisticated obstacle avoidance algorithm and follow feature, it needs little attention beyond setting its objective, even in dynamic environments. Heads-up and hands-free, the soldier is now unencumbered, can administer multiple drones at once—a forward scout, a high-flying aerial drone with a wide field-of-view over the territory, and third flying close behind, who has his back. With ARGO, the soldier can summon the view from any camera, on any device, at any time, without putting down his weapon. In this manner, the combination of autonomous robotic agents gives the soldier total situational awareness.

The combination of ARGO, and autonomous agents, is a true force multiplier.

The arguments against automation made by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), the union representing dockworkers at major U.S. East Coast ports, is principally driven by fear of job displacement, and economic survival of their union members.

It is often states that AI is not going to take your job, another worker who is using AI is going to take your job.

The busiest port represented by the ILA is the Port of New York and New Jersey, moving approximately 124 million short tons of cargo, annually. By comparison, the automated Port of Shanghai moves about 777 million short tons. The Port of Shanghai currently moves more than six-times the volume of the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Most of that cargo is coming from China, the bulk transverses the Panama Canal, over to the U.S. East Coast though some cross the Indian Ocean, and come through the Suez Canal, and across the Atlantic. Based on 2023’s data, the Port of New York and New Jersey employ approximately 8,345 people. By comparison, the Port of Shanghai reported having 13,036 employees by end of 2023.

While high-volume automated Chinese ports may employ many more people, the style of automation adopted in China is one largely operated by desk-workers in control centers, monitoring and managing operations remotely via computer screens.

It is my belief that a significant part of the resistance to automation by American Longshoremen is not just about automating away job security, but rather, the obliteration of their masculine work culture. Like many who seek physical labor for their employment, there is a fulfillment that one receives from being actively on their feet, avoiding the tedium of sedentary employment.

This does not mean they are averse to technology. Anyone who owns a smartphone, is accustomed to using a computer to assist in the activities of their everyday lives. Longshoremen are no different.

What American dockworkers need is an implementation of automation that integrates into their culture. Instead of turning the American ports into just another sedentary corporate office job, the U.S. needs to adopt a style of automation without destroying the aspects of the Longshoremen’s work that brings fulfillment to their way of life.

In this manner, industrial smart glasses like DigiLens ARGO, can act as a force multiplier, allowing the same number of dock workers to move substantially more cargo, without compromising the masculine work culture that they share with their military brethren.

A 2015 a study by the New York Shipping Association found that 332 of 582 new dockworkers hired at the Port of New York and New Jersey in the prior 18 months were military veterans (57%).

The solution to American port automation is AR smart glasses (and those smart glasses are ARGO by DigiLens).

	We’ll take a quick look at the outcome of all of UT’s M&A. Then we’ll frame it the context of the military tech challengers emerging out of Silicon Valley, and see how this is all interrelated. I will close the circle. While Ackman won his battle, Hayes moved forward with the additional acquisition of Raytheon. Ackman was opposed to this deal, and divested his holdings in United Technologies only seven months after the breakup he fought for, in May 2019. For his part, Hayes stayed on as CEO of the combined United Technologies and Raytheon, now known as RTX Corporation. “The stock performance of the top-5 defense primes wildly outperforms the S&P 500… Northrop Grumman, over the last 15 years, has had a total compounded shareholder return of just over 20%. Lockheed and Boeing are just behind them at about 15%. The S&P 500 over that exact same time period has an 11.6% total compounded annual return.” —Matt Grimm, Co-Founder, COO, Anduril Given all the M&A, it would not be practical to include United Technologies, together with the RockwellCollins and Raytheon acquisitions (without even getting into the Otis, and Carrier spin-offs), given Grimm’s 15 year timescale, however, when judged by their performance in the timeframe since their M&A activity, RTX has not only out performed the S&P 500, but the combined entities (and respective spin-offs) have out performed the rest of the military industrial market, to boot. From 2018 to 2024, the combined value of United Technologies, RockwellCollins, and Raytheon have grown 64%. The resulting RTX has out performed all the other major defense primes in this timeframe as well, with respective increases in value of: General Dynamics at 36%, Lockheed Martin at 53%, Boeing at 46%, and Northrop Grumman close behind at 60%. So the market approved of both Ackman’s breakup, and of Hayes’ acquisitions (too bad for Ackman, he sold so soon)… but the question is: Is the market the right judge? At the end of the day, tax-payers are funding military industrial companies that are profitable for their investors in no small part because they’ve learned how to game the government’s “cost-plus” billing program. This must end. This is not only unethical and scandalous, but they’re taxing (stealing) a tremendous amount of money from the people. “The challenges with Defense Tech… the two big ones, one is procurement and the process… there the rules around what you can procure to prevent corruption have gotten illogically wild. So, one of them is they purchased via this Cost Plus model which basically says whatever it costs you to build, then we’ll pay you 10% or 20% more than that… The problem with that is [the companies] just spend as much money as [they] can building this thing… and take [their] time… because there’s no penalty for it being three years late, and the technology sucking… the penalty is for not doing that.” —Ben Horowitz, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz In fiscal year 2023, the United States allocated approximately $820.3 billion to military expenditures, constituting about 13.3% of the federal budget for that year. Of this total, about $144.9 billion (17.7%) was designated for procurement, and approximately $130.1 billion (15.9%) was allocated for research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). These defense sector companies vastly outperform the market because the incentive structure is perverse, and the business model borders on the criminal. Against the inertia of the blob, I hope the new administration makes some kind of progress in restructuring this industry… and audits everyone. It is not just that it is robbing the American people blind, it is clear that with a peer rival on the ascent, and a multipolar world taking shape, if this is not restructured, we will not remain the world’s model army. I’m optimistic about Anduril, and the consortium they’ve formed with Palantir, and I would like to see them reach out to companies like DigiLens.

“The FAA killed the drone industry years ago… The reason why the Chinese are winning in the Drone Wars is because the FAA… made drones illegal in the US… Legally you cannot fly a drone… beyond line of sight if you don’t have a pilot’s license. Which means… [a] US drone… [must] either not fly beyond line of sight… or… validate only [customers] that have pilot licenses. [In] China there’s no such restriction… Chinese drones… [can] just [be bought] in the US and used however you want. Technically… you’re out of compliance with the law, but… they ignore that part [and] just punish the American drone makers. That’s why… 90% of the drones used by the US Military and… police are Chinese-made… Every Chinese drone is… a potential surveillance platform and… weapon.”
—Marc Andreessen, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

The growing reliance on Chinese-made components in U.S. military systems, highlighted in reports from Foreign Desk News (July 2024) and Defense One (June 2023), underscores the urgency of securing domestic and allied supply chains. The 2024 report revealed a dramatic increase in Chinese manufacturers supporting U.S. military systems, from approximately 12,000 in 2005 to nearly 45,000 by 2023, including critical semiconductors used in Patriot missiles and B-2 bombers. While the Navy and Army made strides in reducing Chinese suppliers by 40% and 17% respectively in 2023, the Air Force and other agencies increased their dependency, reflecting challenges in mitigating this reliance.

This emphasizes the strategic importance of selecting domestic companies like DigiLens for near-eye display contracts, especially as the number of Chinese waveguide manufacturers grows, posing potential risks to supply chain security.

When the government selects specific companies to fulfill critical defense contracts, it inevitably shapes the market, creating winners but also sidelining potential competitors. While this can accelerate innovation and secure military supply chains, it can also risk stifling competition in the private sector. Whomever the military chooses for this supplier, will inevitably have an upper-hand in the private sector. Philosophically, this has made an endorsement difficult. I’m both a reluctant warrior, favoring diplomacy over force, and an advocate of the free market. Endorsing a supplier for a military contract is a bit outside of my comfort zone.

Though if the military is going to pick a winner, it should be DigiLens.

While many other companies have come and gone in the near-eye display space, DigiLens has held a unique position. Like an academy for the industry, many brilliant engineers have come through their lab, and their team is as strong as ever today. DigiLens’ IP portfolio is the envy of the industry. The switchable Bragg grating (SBG) technology that they championed remains the bleeding edge of waveguide technology.

The Crystal 30 lenses used in the ARGO are not DigiLens’ top-of-the-line. That would be the Crystal 50, where a high-speed light engine is alternated through a switchable grating architecture that distributes the light across six regions, expanding to an impressive 50° diagonal FOV. Rather, the Crystal 30 are the sweet spot. They are a 30° FOV display, that can be manufactured at a reasonable price, with high reliability. If the Crystal 50 are DigiLens’ Ferrari F80, then the Crystal 30 are their Ford F150.

But the ARGO platform is far more than a pair of lenses…

Powered by Snapdragon® XR2 Gen 1, 6DoF tracking with camera and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) integration, then center camera is 48MP autofocus, with optical image stabilization (OIS), electronic image stabilization (EIS), and pixel binning for low light scenarios, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB UFS storage. It is certified IP65 (dust tight & water resistant), an ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses rating, and the U.S. military’s Extreme Environment Tolerance MIL-STD-810G rating including extreme high & low temperatures, humidity, vibration, shock, and drops.

Google Gemini on DigiLens ARGO smart glasses enable spatial perception and awareness, and provide relevant instructions or tasks to be overlayed into the wearer’s view. By utilizing the glasses’ camera, Gemini can analyze the machine a wearer is working on in real-time.

Gemini’s AI Agents can be proactive: Initiating actions without explicit user prompts. They are goal-oriented, pursuing objectives and will adapting to changing circumstances.

Instead of using predefined voice commands, ARGO can respond to a wide range of conversational languages, enhancing productivity and engagement.

ARGO were designed from the ground up to be an industrial and enterprise user interface for engaging with artificial intelligence, and they are the current state of the art.

Contact Brian Hamilton, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for for a one-on-one demo of ARGO, at ARIA Hospitality Suites, during CES in Las Vegas, NV.