 |
| Augmented Reality Glasses |
These glasses, which resemble a stylish pair of wrap-around glasses, but with only a small, thin clear display that sits above a wearer's right eye (we'd guess the final product would be adjustable for either eye), not full lenses. That sort of design keeps the augmented reality glasses out of the way, keeping information out of the way, so that "the real world" is still readily visible.
According to the New York Times, which first wrote about the glasses in late February,
"The glasses can stream information to the lenses and allow the wearer to send and receive messages through voice commands. There is also a built-in camera to record video and take pictures."
Earlier reports said the smartglasses would function as a phone, not just transport data. We wouldn't be surprised, considering the current state of technology and how much real estate components take up, to see some of that communications hardware put into self-contained hardware you might wear on your belt, which communicates with the glasses via BlueTooth or other wireless medium.
Google wants feedback and ideas for the new augmented reality glasses. The company said, in its Google+ post, that "we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input."
Watch a video below. It shows potential uses for for the smartglasses. A man is shown spending a day walking around the streets of New York City, all from the perspective of the augmented-reality glasses.
Google has begun testing the head's up "smartglasses" we wrote about earlier. The augmented reality glasses, which sound a lot like an eyewear version of a smart device, are coming out of the company's Google X skunkworks lab.
Google unveils "Project Glass," augmented reality glasses
Rumors have been floating around that Google is developing a pair of glasses with a built-in heads-up display, and Google confirmed the project's existence today.
"Project Glass," as shown in a Google+ page, outfits the wearer with a sleek pair of glasses with just one small lens worn over the right eye, and a camera. That doesn't mean a working pair actually exists yet—Google said photos of the glasses were posted to "show what this technology could look like" and a video was created "to demonstrate what it might enable you to do."
In the video, a guy wakes up and sees some Android-like icons in his heads-up display. He makes coffee, sees a reminder for an appointment, looks out the window, gets the weather, then receives a text message from a friend asking him if he wants to meet. He replies to the text message by voice while he's eating. The guy walks out the door and heads toward the subway when his glasses tell him subway service has been suspended. Instead, he gets the walking route from his glasses.
Later, he goes into a bookstore, asks "where's the music section?" and is given walking directions to that part of the shop—using the indoor maps technology built by Google. He sees something interesting, says "take a photo of this," and then "share it to my circles" in order to post it on Google+. Then he walks up on top of a balcony, receives a video call, and shares the view from the top of the building with a friend.
In short, the glasses will be designed to do just about everything that can be done using a smartphone, but without the massive inconvenience of actually carrying a device and using your hands. Google hasn't said how close all this is to reality. I would estimate 6-12 months.
<><><><>
Continuing its trend of turning science fiction into reality, Google officially announced its augmented reality glasses today — and yes, they look about as geeky as you’d expect.
Dubbed Project Glass, the glasses will allow you to do many of the same things you do with your smartphone without whipping out a separate device. It’s still unclear when the glasses will be for sale, but Google says employees will begin testing them in public.
In a concept video released today, Google showed how the glasses could take pictures, give you directions, check-in to locations, and even perform video chats.
“We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input,” Google’s Babak Parviz, Steve Lee, and Sebastian Thrun wrote on a new Google+ page for the project. “So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do.”
Google is doing its best to give the glasses some fashion appeal by featuring rejected Gap models in its promo shots, but they still seem too obtrusive for most consumers. Google is also exploring different designs for the glasses, including some that could fit over your existing glasses, reports the New York Times.
While it may seem like the glasses will add yet another layer of digital distraction to our lives, Google employees say it will actually do the opposite. One person testing the glasses told the NYT: “They let technology get out of your way. If I want to take a picture I don’t have to reach into my pocket and take out my phone; I just press a button at the top of the glasses and that’s it.”
These glasses may seem ridiculous, but it’s worth noting that Thrun is the robotics and artificial intelligence expert who led Stanford University to win the DARPA Grand Challenge in 2007 with its self-driving car, Stanley; he’s also behind Stanford’s current experiment in online education.
"Project Glass," as shown in a Google+ page, outfits the wearer with a sleek pair of glasses with just one small lens worn over the right eye, and a camera. That doesn't mean a working pair actually exists yet—Google said photos of the glasses were posted to "show what this technology could look like" and a video was created "to demonstrate what it might enable you to do."
In the video, a guy wakes up and sees some Android-like icons in his heads-up display. He makes coffee, sees a reminder for an appointment, looks out the window, gets the weather, then receives a text message from a friend asking him if he wants to meet. He replies to the text message by voice while he's eating. The guy walks out the door and heads toward the subway when his glasses tell him subway service has been suspended. Instead, he gets the walking route from his glasses.
Later, he goes into a bookstore, asks "where's the music section?" and is given walking directions to that part of the shop—using the indoor maps technology built by Google. He sees something interesting, says "take a photo of this," and then "share it to my circles" in order to post it on Google+. Then he walks up on top of a balcony, receives a video call, and shares the view from the top of the building with a friend.
In short, the glasses will be designed to do just about everything that can be done using a smartphone, but without the massive inconvenience of actually carrying a device and using your hands. Google hasn't said how close all this is to reality. I would estimate 6-12 months.
 |
| Augmented Reality Glasses |
Continuing its trend of turning science fiction into reality, Google officially announced its augmented reality glasses today — and yes, they look about as geeky as you’d expect.
Dubbed Project Glass, the glasses will allow you to do many of the same things you do with your smartphone without whipping out a separate device. It’s still unclear when the glasses will be for sale, but Google says employees will begin testing them in public.
In a concept video released today, Google showed how the glasses could take pictures, give you directions, check-in to locations, and even perform video chats.
“We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input,” Google’s Babak Parviz, Steve Lee, and Sebastian Thrun wrote on a new Google+ page for the project. “So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do.”
Google is doing its best to give the glasses some fashion appeal by featuring rejected Gap models in its promo shots, but they still seem too obtrusive for most consumers. Google is also exploring different designs for the glasses, including some that could fit over your existing glasses, reports the New York Times.
While it may seem like the glasses will add yet another layer of digital distraction to our lives, Google employees say it will actually do the opposite. One person testing the glasses told the NYT: “They let technology get out of your way. If I want to take a picture I don’t have to reach into my pocket and take out my phone; I just press a button at the top of the glasses and that’s it.”
These glasses may seem ridiculous, but it’s worth noting that Thrun is the robotics and artificial intelligence expert who led Stanford University to win the DARPA Grand Challenge in 2007 with its self-driving car, Stanley; he’s also behind Stanford’s current experiment in online education.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Are Google's augmented reality glasses the next generation in mobile devices? - National Technology | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/technology-in-national/are-google-s-augmented-reality-glasses-the-next-generation-mobile-devices#ixzz1r8A4AZ8N
