Google Glass was a wearable, voice and motion-controlled Android gadget that resembled a pair of eyeglasses and displayed info instantly within the consumer’s sight view. It was discontinued in March 2023.
Google Glass provided an augmented actuality (AR) expertise through the use of visible, audio and location-based inputs to supply related info. For instance, upon getting into an airport, a consumer might mechanically obtain flight standing info.
Historical past of Google Glass
Google Glass was developed by Google’s X subsidiary. It was meant to discover the chances of AR and wearable expertise. It by no means reached the purpose of changing into a full shopper product.
The primary model, dubbed Explorer Version, was launched in 2013. Shoppers instantly voiced their concern concerning the glasses being a possible invasion of privateness. To many, Google Glass represented inescapable recording in on a regular basis life. Google tried to rebrand the glasses as a device for professionals equivalent to surgeons or manufacturing facility staff. Nonetheless, concern remained, and Google ceased all work on the Glass Explorer challenge in 2015.
In 2017, work resumed with Glass Enterprise Version. This relaunch of the challenge centered all efforts on making a product that will profit workplaces like factories and warehouses. In 2019, a brand new model of Google Glass was launched — the Glass Enterprise Version 2.
On March 15, 2023, Google ceased promoting Google Glass. On Sept. 15, 2023, Google discontinued help for Google Glass.
Legacy of Google Glass
Google Glass was an early try at wearable expertise. It was launched earlier than the primary Apple Watch and Google Put on popularized smartwatches within the mainstream they usually turned the de facto normal wearable. As such, it entered at a time earlier than the general public was prepared to simply accept an always-on and always-connected gadget. Particularly with its distinguished digital camera, many felt that it was recording them in addition to issues about its use throughout day-to-day interactions with others.
The refocusing of Google Glass on enterprise use circumstances injected added longevity into the challenge. It discovered some restricted use in medical and industrial fields. It was particularly helpful in circumstances the place the consumer wanted to maintain their palms free to perform one other activity.
Google Glass was the primary try by a serious expertise firm to carry an AR gadget to market. Different corporations have since launched AR units, equivalent to Microsoft HoloLens, Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional and Meta Quest, and whereas these have discovered some success, they haven’t reached the purpose of mass market acceptance. Nonetheless, a few of the early improvements for Google Glass, equivalent to always-on show, voice assistant, and displaying contextual info, have change into built-in into smartphones and smartwatches.
How Google Glasses work
The Google Glass working system (OS) was primarily based on a model of Android. The OS might run software virtualization instruments known as Glassware which are optimized for the gadget. Glassware allowed the gadget to ship an app to the consumer, as an alternative of a full desktop. The glasses had built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and a digital camera for taking pictures and movies.
The good eyewear used movement and voice recognition to course of instructions from the wearer. A touchpad was additionally obtainable on the glasses’ rim. To offer the requested info, the gadget relied on sending small packages of data straight to the wearer by a micro-projector, utilizing a non-public channel of communication that might solely be accessed by the consumer.
Google Glass then used a subject sequential coloration (FSC) liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) system to show photographs on the lens, permitting wearers to view the picture in true colours. FSC refers to a coloration tv system that transmits the first coloration info in steady photographs after which depends on the human’s imaginative and prescient and notion to gather the knowledge right into a coloration image. LCOS is a type of video show expertise.
Options of Google Glass
The important thing characteristic of Google Glass was the tiny semi-transparent display positioned on the higher right-hand facet of the glasses. This show occupied solely about 5% of the wearer’s pure sight view and is accountable for transmitting info to the consumer.
In an effort to view the display, wearers needed to search for, inserting the display out of the direct line of imaginative and prescient. This characteristic is especially vital as a result of dangerous placement of the show might result in severe questions of safety.
Different options of Google Glass included:
- The power to take pictures and movies after which share precisely what the consumer is seeing by Google Hangouts.
- The choice to make use of the Google search engine by the glasses, utilizing Wi-Fi or a smartphone’s knowledge connection.
- The power to have translations streamed straight to the wearer by the display.
- Reminders to finish sure chores or duties with an added visible side that can immediate a notification to seem on the consumer’s display each time they have a look at a specific object.
- The power to sync the glasses to calendars saved on telephones or computer systems in an effort to obtain reminders of occasions and conferences.
- Help of each voice and video calls. Within the video calls, wearers can present the opposite particular person precisely what they’re taking a look at as an alternative of speaking face-to-face.
- The power to reply emails and textual content messages utilizing voice dictation.
- Collaboration with Google Maps to supply step-by-step instructions with a map displayed on the display.
- The power to answer facial and head actions, equivalent to permitting the consumer to tilt their head to scroll by a web page or function the gadget with eye actions.
Glass Enterprise Version 2
The ultimate model of Google Glass, Glass Enterprise Version 2, incorporates a USB-C port for sooner charging, an improved digital camera and a processing enhance from its new use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR1 chip, which is designed particularly for augmented and digital actuality techniques. The XR1 chip permits the Google Glass gadget to combine superior machine studying and pc imaginative and prescient skills.
Security frames have been added to the design, making the glasses simpler and appropriate in numerous work environments. Different enhancements embrace a much bigger battery that gives longer battery life, upgraded Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections and help of Android Enterprise cell gadget administration.
Every wearable gadget comes with computing capabilities in addition to a number of professionals and cons. Study the advantages and administration challenges posed by enterprise wearables.