The opposite sex don't like specs -- but who can resist Google's augmented reality glasses with built-in camera? Google has shown off the first picture taken by the Project Glass high-tech specs. Look mum, no hands!
Googlebod Sebastian Thrun posted the picture of his son Jasper in mid-flight, taken with the Project Glass AR specs. Posted on Google+ -- where else?! -- the snap was taken by the face-mounted wearable AR unit, even though both Thrun's hands were occupied.
They say chaps don't make passes at girls wearing glasses, but with something as cool as this to play with romance would probably be the last thing on your mind. The Project Glass spectacles are shaped like regular glasses, but with a small screen and camera where the lens would be. That displays head-up display-style information overlaid over your regular view of the world.
According to Google's promotional video, you can see information about places you're going or adverts you see, and can have messages and even video calls projected in front of your eyes. It's controlled by your voice, leaving your hands free for spinning kids around -- and throwing your hands out in front of you when you fall down the stairs because you were checking your email.
Project Glass was unveiled earlier this year, and is currently being tested by Thrun and other members of the Glass team. If you're in Silicon Valley and see someone wandering around looking a bit like this, now you'll know exactly what they're doing:
Google's concept is a nifty combination of wow-that's-clever with actually-that-could-be-really-annoying. Not everyone has had their mind boggled by Google's goggles -- one expert has expressed doubt over whether Glass can actually do what's shown in Google's video.
Are you impressed by the Project Glass snap? How would you wear Google's AR specs? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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anonymous 10 May, 2012 13:02
so we'll end up having a society where people talk to their glasses? Too much technology will be a problem, these glasses have nothing better than the current smartphones --I don't mind using my hands to check my email--. And they look like crap.
anonymous 10 May, 2012 13:24
Yes but you miss the FAD factor. Look as some of the stuff coming down the runways at these clothing shows, and tell me that is not ugly as sin, yet they win the show. Its all FAD factor.
anonymous 10 May, 2012 13:51
It needs to work with Facebook. The google plus check in is useless. Nobody uses google plus, they would be better off if they stop trying to compete with Facebook because they will lose in general if they try and integrate or push google plus, a failed venture, into their new technology. Why not make the goggles work with Facebook places?
anonymous 10 May, 2012 15:06
Cool as they sound, and let's be honest all of our inner tech nerds love the idea, the problem is they will never sell, most consumers won't see the point in these other than the whole "futuristic" aspect. Sorry google.
anonymous 10 May, 2012 15:10
Video mounted helmets and glasses have been around for a while where this hype is not impressive. Im sure there are applications for its use but not for the average citizen. Once again technology is being forced to create a market. Technology such as iphones and similar technology create more of a hazard and decrease productivity than its perceived value.
anonymous 11 May, 2012 04:11
Whether the current design works or not, something like this is the future of the computer interface. An overlay on the natural world seems like the nicest computer UI I can imagine: it would not require any "looking away" and it can add helpful information to everything we see (e.g. What is that person's name?)
ericklamothe 12 May, 2012 14:03
There will have to be serious research into the potential long term health implications of having such artificial sensory stimuli directly focusing on your eyes for prolonged periods of time. Seizures could be induced by such glasses.