Google Glass was a wearable, voice and motion-controlled Android machine that resembled a pair of eyeglasses and displayed info instantly within the person’s sight view. It was discontinued in March 2023.
Google Glass supplied an augmented actuality (AR) expertise by utilizing visible, audio and location-based inputs to offer related info. For instance, upon coming into an airport, a person may routinely obtain flight standing info.
Historical past of Google Glass
Google Glass was developed by Google’s X subsidiary. It was supposed to discover the probabilities of AR and wearable expertise. It by no means reached the purpose of turning into a full client 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 instrument for professionals corresponding to surgeons or manufacturing facility staff. Nonetheless, concern remained, and Google ceased all work on the Glass Explorer mission in 2015.
In 2017, work resumed with Glass Enterprise Version. This relaunch of the mission targeted all efforts on making a product that will profit workplaces like factories and warehouses. In 2019, a 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 assist 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 grew to become 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 machine. Particularly with its distinguished digicam, many felt that it was recording them in addition to considerations about its use throughout day-to-day interactions with others.
The refocusing of Google Glass on enterprise use instances injected added longevity into the mission. It discovered some restricted use in medical and industrial fields. It was particularly helpful in instances the place the person wanted to maintain their arms free to perform one other job.
Google Glass was the primary try by a serious expertise firm to convey an AR machine to market. Different corporations have since launched AR gadgets, corresponding 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, corresponding to always-on show, voice assistant, and displaying contextual info, have grow to be built-in into smartphones and smartwatches.
How Google Glasses work
The Google Glass working system (OS) was based mostly on a model of Android. The OS may run utility virtualization instruments known as Glassware which are optimized for the machine. Glassware allowed the machine to ship an app to the person, as a substitute of a full desktop. The glasses had built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and a digicam for taking images and movies.
The sensible eyewear used movement and voice recognition to course of instructions from the wearer. A touchpad was additionally accessible on the glasses’ rim. To offer the requested info, the machine relied on sending small packages of data straight to the wearer by means of a micro-projector, utilizing a personal channel of communication that would solely be accessed by the person.
Google Glass then used a subject sequential colour (FSC) liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) system to show pictures on the lens, permitting wearers to view the picture in true colours. FSC refers to a colour tv system that transmits the first colour info in steady pictures after which depends on the human’s imaginative and prescient and notion to gather the data right into a colour image. LCOS is a type of video show expertise.
Options of Google Glass
The important thing function of Google Glass was the tiny semi-transparent display situated on the higher right-hand facet of the glasses. This show occupied solely about 5% of the wearer’s pure sight view and is chargeable for transmitting info to the person.
With a purpose to view the display, wearers needed to search for, putting the display out of the direct line of imaginative and prescient. This function is especially essential as a result of unhealthy placement of the show may result in severe issues of safety.
Different options of Google Glass included:
- The flexibility to take photographs and movies after which share precisely what the person is seeing by means of Google Hangouts.
- The choice to make use of the Google search engine by means of the glasses, utilizing Wi-Fi or a smartphone’s knowledge connection.
- The flexibility to have translations streamed straight to the wearer by means of the display.
- Reminders to finish sure chores or duties with an added visible side that may immediate a notification to seem on the person’s display each time they take a look at a specific object.
- The flexibility to sync the glasses to calendars saved on telephones or computer systems as a way to obtain reminders of occasions and conferences.
- Help of each voice and video calls. Within the video calls, wearers can present the opposite individual precisely what they’re taking a look at as a substitute of speaking face-to-face.
- The flexibility to reply emails and textual content messages utilizing voice dictation.
- Collaboration with Google Maps to offer step-by-step instructions with a map displayed on the display.
- The flexibility to answer facial and head actions, corresponding to permitting the person to tilt their head to scroll by means of a web page or function the machine with eye actions.
Glass Enterprise Version 2
The ultimate model of Google Glass, Glass Enterprise Version 2, encompasses a USB-C port for quicker charging, an improved digicam and a processing increase from its new use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR1 chip, which is designed particularly for augmented and digital actuality programs. The XR1 chip permits the Google Glass machine to combine superior machine studying and laptop imaginative and prescient talents.
Security frames have been added to the design, making the glasses more practical and suitable in various work environments. Different enhancements embrace a much bigger battery that gives longer battery life, upgraded Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections and assist of Android Enterprise cellular machine administration.
Every wearable machine comes with computing capabilities in addition to a number of professionals and cons. Find out about the advantages and administration challenges posed by enterprise wearables.
