4 ms·

Google Glass May Have an Afterlife as a Device to Teach Autistic Children

68 points by lil-scamp 7y ago

melling 7y ago
It also has a life as a business solution: https://www.cnet.com/news/google-glass-enterprise-edition-2-gets-surprise-upgrade-and-new-frames/ https://www.cnet.com/news/google-glass-enterprise-edition-2-...
- tyingq 7y ago
  "Google's Glass customers and partners currently include AGCO, DHL Group, HB Fuller, and Sutter Health." A decent start, but that's not really a list that suggests it will be anywhere near as significant as Google hinted 6 years ago.
  - melling 7y ago
    They seem to have more than that: https://www.google.com/glass/partners/ https://www.google.com/glass/partners/
    - tyingq 7y ago
      VMWare seems a good nod. The others seem more of the same, though I may have missed a stealthy good catch.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
inanutshellus 7y ago
i still want one :)
- ocdtrekkie 7y ago
  Explorer Edition units are mostly useless, but they're pretty cheap these days. Mine's good shelf decoration, so I don't intend to ever give it up.
- bookofjoe 7y ago
  https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.XGoogle+Glass.TRS0&_nkw=Google+Glass&_sacat=0 https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m...
bookofjoe 7y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20464724 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20464724
aaron695 7y ago
If you actually want to help, rather than chasing funding, you'd have to use common hardware. You are not going to afford to build product's for a limited market and use a hardware device that has no (=expensive) programmers and a limited, expensive life. The world can't even create a useful screen reader for blind people. Last time I looked into it with users people were using Apples default product over specialised products. And the ones I tested were garbage. The closer to mainstream the more useful the product (and the less funding you will get)
DonHopkins 7y ago
I don't know about autistic children, but "overpaid manbaby technologists" sure love Google Glass. http://notokglass.com/creepy/ok-glass-impress-teenage-girls/ http://notokglass.com/creepy/ok-glass-impress-teenage-girls/ http://valleywag.gawker.com/google-glass-fanboy-robert-scoble-breaks-creepiness-rec-1493296352 http://valleywag.gawker.com/google-glass-fanboy-robert-scobl...
0xcde4c3db 7y ago
That is, a device to train autistic children to communicate "normally". Not a method for more effective teaching in general. While obviously a biased sample, the #ActuallyAutistic reactions I've seen so far are... not enthusiastic (roughly: Holy shit, again with the "eye contact" obsession; do you think we haven't figured out where your eyes are?). The more articles like this I see, the more I get the whole "nothing about us without us" thing.
- byuu 7y ago
  Pretty much, yeah. Neurotypical folks want to feel comfortable, and see the way of addressing this as teaching neurodivergent folks to power through it and live in constant stress and anxiety for their benefit. No willingness to meet half way.
- elliotpage 7y ago
  Agreed - while dressed up in technology (that flopped, for good reason) this is simply another way to try and force people into being "normal". There is no need for this device, or the motive behind it, to exist.
  - sjg007 7y ago
    More kids have ASD then ever before and there is a shortage of therapists. If this technology can make a clinical impact then it is a good thing. It broadens access to treatment. Much like voice technology like Siri and Alexa may help as well.
    - 0xcde4c3db 7y ago
      > If this technology can make a clinical impact then it is a good thing. A major issue is that such impact for ASD is often (perhaps even typically) measured without bothering to ask the person whether they regard it as an improvement.
      - sjg007 7y ago
Abishek_Muthian 7y ago
Google Glass project would never be completely dropped by Google, even though it didn't succeed as an accessory now; it has very obvious medical use cases. As BMI/BCI tech improves, especially w.r.t vision a spectacle (aka glass) is the obvious choice to put a camera for input on the face; a spectacle with processing power like Google Glass is a convenient advantage.
piokoch 7y ago
Google Glass is a great idea, but was sold to the wrong market. I believe there is a lot of niche markets that would really benefit from this - the police, augmented reality tool for museums/historical sites visitors, people with physical disabilities and many others (like the one mentioned in the article). I am sure Google knew this, but they also knew that this is not something that would provide sufficient income from their perspective.
hkt 7y ago
Maybe that's all it ever was..

68 points by lil-scamp 7y ago

It also has a life as a business solution: https://www.cnet.com/news/google-glass-enterprise-edition-2-gets-surprise-upgrade-and-new-frames/ https://www.cnet.com/news/google-glass-enterprise-edition-2-...

tyingq 7y ago
"Google's Glass customers and partners currently include AGCO, DHL Group, HB Fuller, and Sutter Health." A decent start, but that's not really a list that suggests it will be anywhere near as significant as Google hinted 6 years ago.
- melling 7y ago
  They seem to have more than that: https://www.google.com/glass/partners/ https://www.google.com/glass/partners/
  - tyingq 7y ago
    VMWare seems a good nod. The others seem more of the same, though I may have missed a stealthy good catch.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

inanutshellus 7y ago

i still want one :)

ocdtrekkie 7y ago
Explorer Edition units are mostly useless, but they're pretty cheap these days. Mine's good shelf decoration, so I don't intend to ever give it up.
bookofjoe 7y ago
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.XGoogle+Glass.TRS0&_nkw=Google+Glass&_sacat=0 https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m...

bookofjoe 7y ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20464724 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20464724

aaron695 7y ago

If you actually want to help, rather than chasing funding, you'd have to use common hardware. You are not going to afford to build product's for a limited market and use a hardware device that has no (=expensive) programmers and a limited, expensive life. The world can't even create a useful screen reader for blind people. Last time I looked into it with users people were using Apples default product over specialised products. And the ones I tested were garbage. The closer to mainstream the more useful the product (and the less funding you will get)

DonHopkins 7y ago

I don't know about autistic children, but "overpaid manbaby technologists" sure love Google Glass. http://notokglass.com/creepy/ok-glass-impress-teenage-girls/ http://notokglass.com/creepy/ok-glass-impress-teenage-girls/ http://valleywag.gawker.com/google-glass-fanboy-robert-scoble-breaks-creepiness-rec-1493296352 http://valleywag.gawker.com/google-glass-fanboy-robert-scobl...

0xcde4c3db 7y ago

That is, a device to train autistic children to communicate "normally". Not a method for more effective teaching in general. While obviously a biased sample, the #ActuallyAutistic reactions I've seen so far are... not enthusiastic (roughly: Holy shit, again with the "eye contact" obsession; do you think we haven't figured out where your eyes are?). The more articles like this I see, the more I get the whole "nothing about us without us" thing.

byuu 7y ago
Pretty much, yeah. Neurotypical folks want to feel comfortable, and see the way of addressing this as teaching neurodivergent folks to power through it and live in constant stress and anxiety for their benefit. No willingness to meet half way.
elliotpage 7y ago
Agreed - while dressed up in technology (that flopped, for good reason) this is simply another way to try and force people into being "normal". There is no need for this device, or the motive behind it, to exist.
- sjg007 7y ago
  More kids have ASD then ever before and there is a shortage of therapists. If this technology can make a clinical impact then it is a good thing. It broadens access to treatment. Much like voice technology like Siri and Alexa may help as well.
  - 0xcde4c3db 7y ago
    > If this technology can make a clinical impact then it is a good thing. A major issue is that such impact for ASD is often (perhaps even typically) measured without bothering to ask the person whether they regard it as an improvement.
    - sjg007 7y ago

Abishek_Muthian 7y ago

Google Glass project would never be completely dropped by Google, even though it didn't succeed as an accessory now; it has very obvious medical use cases. As BMI/BCI tech improves, especially w.r.t vision a spectacle (aka glass) is the obvious choice to put a camera for input on the face; a spectacle with processing power like Google Glass is a convenient advantage.

piokoch 7y ago

Google Glass is a great idea, but was sold to the wrong market. I believe there is a lot of niche markets that would really benefit from this - the police, augmented reality tool for museums/historical sites visitors, people with physical disabilities and many others (like the one mentioned in the article). I am sure Google knew this, but they also knew that this is not something that would provide sufficient income from their perspective.

hkt 7y ago

Maybe that's all it ever was..