One of the best features of the Microsoft HoloLens is placing virtual objects firmly fixed into a real space and finding those objects still in the same place when you leave and return. This impressive ability, which gives virtual objects some real-world permanence, is due to the HoloLens creating a spacial map of an area the first time you enter it, and then using that data to fix objects in space in relation to its environment. The map is stored on the device and then recalled when you re-enter the area. In a 2017 augmented reality patent, Microsoft proposes to speed up the tedious process of the first scan by storing the results online and then sharing it with other HoloLens owners, meaning instead of having to recreate the surface map each time a new user enters an area they could simply access an existing one. The patent notes: The computer interface is configured to receive a plurality of local 3D models of a part of a real-world environment, each having been ge...