Google has just recently revealed its latest project: Project Glass. It’s a pair of “augmented reality glasses that connect with your whole Google experience.” The glasses wrap around your head and include a small electronic screen / display for you to view through. It essentially allows you to sync the benefits of Google’s services with your daily vision. If this technology comes to fruition, you can expect to see weather widgets in your peripherals, or updating pointers / arrows giving you directions. (I find this similar to some video games, like in quests which provide pointers telling you where to go or having your health bar displayed.) For a better understanding of this technology I've included a link to a video below.
Link to Project Glass Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4
The developers at Google are also attempting to fit this concept into the minuscule space of a contact lens allowing pixels to sit atop your eye! Personally, the first thing that comes to mind is the expense in creating and maintaining these. Contact lenses tend to be a disposable product. It’d be a shame to throw out a mini computer every time you need to switch lenses...
With this new technology, automatically you need to consider the pros and cons at play. Of course, there is the benefit to instant information and integrating it with your daily routines. It has the possibility to make tasks and general life easier on so many levels. However, as amazing as this concept may sound or the video may appear, I can’t help but be critical about the whole idea. To be honest, I do find the idea intriguing and capable of immense potential, but there’s always going to be aspects that bother me.
First off, with the contact lens, I feel like there would be no censorship in what you view. You won’t exactly be able to “look away” as the image is pressed up against your eye. Also, no one else can see what you’re viewing, I imagine, which wouldn’t exactly have much social benefit.
With both technologies, the lens and glasses, I wonder how the aspect of sound may come into play. Maybe with the glasses they can include speakers or ear buds, but for the contacts I’m just baffled. Also, how would you ‘click’ on things? How would you communicate with these devices so that they know what you want to do with them (other than voice command)? There’s the idea of maybe head tilts or blinks at play, but those can be involuntary or necessary human gestures depending on the situation.As for the aspect of privacy, in order for many of the Google applications to work, the device needs to know your location and information. This means you’re always being tracked, and as the video shows, you have the potential of tracking others as well. Although this can be convenient at times, I find the concept a bit unsettling.
With new technologies there comes risks we need to decide are worth taking or not. Yes, the technology may be helpful and / or popular, but do we really need it? What will happen when technology gets to the point that is becomes an extension of our selves and becomes so integrated into our appearance and behaviours? Google says this project has the ability to be possible in the near future. I’m curious to see how that will play out, and the innovations that will occur as an inevitable result.
-----
“Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them.” – Alfred North Whitehead
-----
Sources:
- http://www.slashgear.com/google-project-glass-smart-glasses-revealed-04221528/
- http://www.pcworld.com/article/253259/googles_project_glass_eyewear_next_big_google_flop_or_hit.html
No comments:
Post a Comment