Microsoft has formally opened the “Microsoft Garage” at its India Development Centre (IDC) in Hyderabad.
The Garage is a platform for Microsoft employees that supports and encourages a culture of experimentation, working together across organisations and technology to explore ideas and build prototypes, adding value to existing products.
It supports experimentation and encourages problem-solving in new and innovative ways, ultimately empowering people to achieve more, the software giant said in a statement.
Equipped with state-of-the-art and modern facilities, the 8,000 sq.ft Garage India, has been built to support teams from across the company for their various projects.
It has three dedicated lab sections — Hub for hackathons and workshops, a Makerspace and an Advanced Makerspace with electronic Workbench, 3D Printers, Laser Cutter, PCB milling machine for creating prototypes; a Reality Room dedicated to working in the space of Augmented Reality (AR) Virtual Reality (VR); and Mixed Reality applications and dedicated space and equipment for doing work on Deep Learning.
Some of the projects that got their start in the Microsoft Garage in the recent past include Seeing AI, an app for visually impaired people that narrates the world around for them; SMS Organizer, an Android app that organises, categorises and customises the user’s SMS inbox, helping them focus on categories of messages that are important to them; Favorite Lock Screen – a unique Android lock screen app that provides users with daily HD wallpapers and news about their favourite celebrities and interests; and Kaizala, a mobile app and service designed for large group communications and work management.
