Google Project Glass - The Technology and Its Implications

Technology just can’t seem to stop amazing us every day. The most brilliant minds around the world work day and night to bring us more and more innovations that transform science fiction into reality.It started with simple things like trains, electricity and the light bulb and has gone on to reach the impossible heights of today like 3D TVs, self-parking cars and so on. And then there is the Google Project Glass.

Image Source:Google+

Project Glass is Google's research and development(R&D) program, set to develop a head-mounted display (HMD) for augmented reality. Information would be displayed in a format similar to smartphones, hands-free and with an Internet connection controlled by voice commands. The operating system implemented in the products would be, of course, Google’s Android. The Google X Lab which is involved in the development of several technologies for the future is currently developing Project Glass and Google has already patented the design.

According to the product’s presentation, with Google Project Glass you will be able to check-in your location, set up meetings and reminders, make voice and video calls, check Google Maps and send instant messages (using the voice-recognizing software implemented in the product). The device will include a LCD or AMOLED display,an earpiece,GPS,3G or 4G data connection,motion sensors,a front facing camera and can be linked to your smartphone using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The device itself is much smaller and thinner than previous versions of head-mounted displays and it differs from regular glasses only slightly. The idea is that in the future it will be available for integration into your own glasses.

Despite all the technological marvels we’ve seen in recent years, Google Project Glass may be the largest step into the future we’ve taken – the product really seams to have been taken right out of a science fiction movie, though to some it may appear even more daring.

Google's co-founder Sergey Brin wearing the glasses(Image credit:Thomas Hawk)

 

Is the world ready for Google Project Glass? What are the implications of its mass production and use among the general population…?

If all things go according to plan, Google Project Glass products might be available to the public in a mere couple of years at the price of current smartphones. The reality of that would be people walking around and talking to themselves. Sure, we are quite used to that already since hands-free devices have been around for at least a decade… But Google Project Glass is a whole different story – people won’t be talking to someone we don’t see, they will literally be communicating with their glasses; not only talking, but seeing things that people around them cannot. Everyone will be literally living inside their heads without actually interacting with the world.

Of course, on the other hand, the device is quite handy. It allows you to plan and control your activities without putting too much effort into it – just talk to the glasses and they do everything for you like reservations at restaurants or buy tickets to a movie.The device can help you find restaurants,bookstores, or any other place for that matter...you just need to ask...But isn’t effort what makes our lives interesting? Don’t these glasses make it too simple?

Another issue with Google Project Glass is personal safety. There have been many parodies circling the web with concerns about the project. Though most of them are extremely exaggerated, there might actually be some truth there… Just imagine the possibility of looking at something while crossing the street and a pop-up ad showing up before your eyes.There are also privacy concerns involved with this technology because everything you do,everything you see,your likes and dislikes can be monitored and this information can be exploited by advertisers.

Google Project Glass is a revolutionary device, no doubt about that. The question is whether it is too big a leap into the future… Because by wearing the glasses and interacting with the created virtual reality, people might actually miss the chance to experience their own lives…

Guest Author:Rita Rova

Rita Rova writes technology articles for Oz-Coupons.com, the coupon code website that lists all the latest discounts for Australia’s top technology stores.