12 ms·

I'm not entirely sure of the capabilities of Glass. For instance, battery life and an ability to persistently have the camera on and displaying an overlay for

by zoba 14y ago

I'm not entirely sure of the capabilities of Glass. For instance, battery life and an ability to persistently have the camera on and displaying an overlay for extended periods seems difficult. Some of the Glass ideas I like but haven't heard much discussion over: - Facial recognition with a little popup over people's heads with their name. Never forget someone's name - Link in with Facebook or your calendar to have people's pop up indicate if its their birthday. Always be on top of the "Happy birthday!" game - Have an alternate reality game with digital objects people can place/write on. Only Glass users can see the teddy bear in the corner, and only google glass users can see the giant graffiti wall where people sign their name. - Identify desired objects and make them stick out, "Dammit, where are my keys again?!" - Auto translate QR codes and overlay the translation - Auto tweet images of your life on a schedule - Many cameras pick up infrared, could overlay this (if the Glass camera does) to expose more of the light spectrum to Glass users

netcraft 14y ago
imagine mechanics using it to see an x-ray kind of view of a vehicle or engine. location/time awareness could do a "checklist" of sorts when you are leaving your house to make sure you pick up all of the items from the front table. a lego app that helps you find that piece in the big bin of pieces
- danso 14y ago
  These are wearable computers, not glasses with visual powers that are not yet feasible to implement, period (I'm guessing there would be a few technical issues with head-mounted-x-ray machines).
  - freehunter 14y ago
    By x-ray view, I figured he meant it would download the schematic of the engine and display that overlaid on what you're seeing.
    - brk 14y ago
      The average internal combustion engine is really pretty simple. It is no more complex to a mechanic than the innards of a "powerful" desktop PC are to most computer people. All the glasses could do is display a layout of a known engine, they can't see inside it to highlight a problem. So, it seems like they would be more of an overall nuisance than anything else in that scenario.
      - Wintamute 14y ago
        The intriguing thing about proper AR, and the proposed "internet of things", is that in a sufficiently connected/smart environment a highly complex mechanical object could be overlaid with a schematic and data about where faults were, as long as the object was capable of reporting its detailed status over a network. That is effectively the X-ray specs the parent mentioned, and more.
      - Someone 14y ago
        AFAIK, _the_ drive for AR in maintenance is that it makes it possible for you to look at a schematic while using both hands for the task at hand, and in whatever position you are. For example, imagine inspecting a plane's fuel tanks from the inside. You could bring a manual, but getting it out of your pocket may be cumbersome, checking that you took it out after the job takes time, etc (forgetting your glasses is less of a risk; you would need them soon again. That manual? The next tank might have a different 200 page one)
        danso 14y ago
        Depending on the PDF processes to create that manual and its overall design sensibility...imagine how hard it will be to navigate the same kind of manuals that don't behave on a tablet...sometimes, paper will still end up as being the best choice.
    - netcraft 14y ago
      yes, I didnt mean to really xray the engine, just give you an AR view of the schematic. I would assume it would require certain calibration points or barcodes on the engine to orient itself. And even if it was a nuisance once you learned the engine, it could be a useful tool in schools or someone learning a new engine. Even imagine a small engine machine shop that sees 10s or 100's of different kinds of engines.
  - meanderingman 14y ago
    Not sure what you mean. The tech is already here on tablets. Check out this recent video from Metaio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iz4ykMn3UR4# http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i...! It uses 3d tracking and could easily be changed from an AC unit to an engine. I think the software is definitely ready.
- wcoenen 14y ago
  > x-ray kind of view of a vehicle or engine BMW did a research project about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9KPJlA5yds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9KPJlA5yds The problem with augmented reality is that you need incredibly low latency: http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/latency-the-sine-qua-non-of-ar-and-vr/ http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/latency-the-sine-qua-n... Early systems will likely stick to simple HUD views that don't require tracking of real objects with low latency.
  - netcraft 14y ago
    yeah, for realtime AR, latency would be a big challenge, but even if in the beginning you could only take a picture and then overlay a schematic over the top of that view, I could see it being useful. I have looked up how to take a laptop apart before to change a part that required me to remove screws in certain places, unhook cables and do other steps in a particular order. Half the trouble with that is figuring out where the picture corresponds to the device in your hands - even if you had to manual advance the instructions, a HUD arrow pointing to the screw would be super useful I think.
  - netcraft 14y ago
    That video is exactly what im talking about - I think it could be done even better, but you can see the possibilities. I dont really understand the need for tint on those glasses, but im sure it was just an example ;)
  - meanderingman 14y ago
    Thats cool. Its from 2007 though. There is a similar project being worked on by Metaio that uses 3d tracking and runs on most tablet devices: http://youtu.be/iz4ykMn3UR4?t=26s http://youtu.be/iz4ykMn3UR4?t=26s
ari_elle 14y ago
Being a private person i just shudder when hearing concepts about face recognition or auto tweets in this context. ^ "Have an alternate reality game with digital objects people can place/write on. Only Glass users can see the teddy bear in the corner, and only google glass users can see the giant graffiti wall where people sign their name." I am sorry since for some this will not be considered as being a constructive contribution to the discussion, but there is an Anime out there about exactly(!) that. It's called Dennou Coil. Very good series. [Sorry, i just had to mention it! Forgive me.]
- darkarmani 14y ago
  This would work well with the images from that bad movie 13 Ghosts (2001 version). The movie wasn't that good, but the depictions of the ghosts which were only viewable with special glasses, was very well done.
- Karunamon 14y ago
  Hey, no need to apologize. It's relevant to the topic at hand and you've just given me, and quite likely some other folks, a series to check out. That's hardly something worth apologizing over :)
Shorel 14y ago
I think you would be OK carrying a battery on your belt. We all like to be a bit like Batman aren't we?
- mitchty 14y ago
  > We all like to be a bit like Batman aren't we? No, in fact as I'm growing older I'm getting more and more to the point of taking more and more "technology vacations" where I ditch my phone and don't use a computer for a night/weekend. It has overall improved my life in many ways. I already carry enough electronic gadgetry, at least with a phone it is in my hand or pocket. Having glasses with a battery pack on my belt? Yeah I'll wait until the tech improves.
gadders 14y ago
I want ones that work like in Shallow Hal.
mtgx 14y ago
Yeah, Facebook and Twitter integration are not going to happen.
- Andrex 14y ago
  If it's anything like Android, which seems likely, then the ball is in their court.
- zoba 14y ago
  I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. Do you have some source to back up why that is "not going to happen"? I can't imagine a scenario where Google wouldn't allow it to link to Twitter and Facebook, especially considering that Google is opening it up to developers. Apple has already filed patents for a "Glass" type product and were Google to disallow developers to link to Facebook and Twitter, Apple would only have to allow this sort of integration...and then Apple has a strong selling point over Google. I'm trying to think of any successful consumer product that blocks this sort of integration and am not coming up with any. Xbox, iPhone, geez even my dad's blu-ray player and people's automobiles (Ford Sync) integrate with Facebook!
sambomillo 14y ago
Is there an augmented reality aspect to these? I got the impression that there was not, that it was simply a little area in the corner of your field of vision where it would display things.
- bitdestroyer 14y ago
  I believe that's what I heard as well. If I remember correctly, I think Robert Scoble said something to the effect of "It's like having a Nexus 7 in the corner of your vision." Apparently he's writing a book for Google Glass and has used them as part of the deal.
- CognitiveLens 14y ago
  People are excited because many reports suggested that, "in the future", Google Glass might support all sorts of great augmented reality features. People will be disappointed because, for the foreseeable future, Google Glass will be just an awkwardly-held standard mobile display with a camera.
Sunlis 14y ago
> Have an alternate reality game with digital objects people can place/write on. Only Glass users can see the teddy bear in the corner, and only google glass users can see the giant graffiti wall where people sign their name. There's a small team at Google working on a game that uses the real world as its map, Ingress[0]. I haven't been able to get access to it yet (typical Google closed beta), but from what I've seen of the game it would fit right in with Glass. [0] http://www.ingress.com/ http://www.ingress.com/
- aharrison 14y ago
  Slightly off-topic: I managed to snag an invite and play around with ingress a bit and I have to say, as a game, it is pretty terrible. You have to find portals, get within a few dozen meters, and then interact with them on a cool down. If there are no portals in your area, there is literally nothing to do in it. It looks like it was designed as an excuse for people to walk around with their GPS enabled and take pictures of "interesting" places. Which is too bad because the concept is kind of cool, but without any actual playability outside of these key locations...what's to keep me playing?
  - lallysingh 14y ago
    It really depends on where you are. In NYC it's actually pretty hot.
    - aharrison 14y ago
      But that is the problem. There should be SOMETHING to do even when you aren't in a hotspot. In my town there are only 3 portals, and only (apparently) one person in the opposing faction. Why would I bother playing?
      - arkem 14y ago
        You could take photos and submit them as potential portal locations (you can share the photos with ingress from the android camera/gallery). That could encourage more people to play and give the current players more to do. The downside is that I think it takes a few weeks for portal suggestions to be processed.
r0s 14y ago
I can't think of a single feature here that wouldn't be better using existing technology on cellphones. Having these things always in your line of vision and no real input options sounds awful.
- duaneb 14y ago
  > Facial recognition with a little popup over people's heads with their name. Never forget someone's name > I can't think of a single feature here that wouldn't be better using existing technology on cellphones. It would be rather awkward to take out your phone and take a picture of someone.
  - r0s 14y ago
    You got me, but that's just one lone feature to build a platform around... and the technology isn't there yet.
- jff 14y ago
  The input consists of voice commands and a trackpad on the side of the frame. It's not like you can't turn off the screen.
  - r0s 14y ago
    Voice input just isn't ready. Commands, yes. Anything longer than a short sentence and it's unusable. That means this will forever be a Second device, either separate or connected to your smartphone. Working speech recognition would be a major revolution, so would useful Augmented Reality, and so would combining them in a lightweight wearable mobile device... but none of these exist. Big jumps in technology don't happen like that, and certainly not all at once at one company.
jhuckestein 14y ago
I tried Google Glass a little while ago. I think it's amazing but one thing I wasn't as aware of before was that it's not an augmented overlay at all. Think of it instead of a display in the corner of your field of vision. You can add information about what you're seing, but you can't effectively overlay things (i.e. highlight parts in an assembly etc)

by zoba 14y ago

netcraft 14y ago

imagine mechanics using it to see an x-ray kind of view of a vehicle or engine. location/time awareness could do a "checklist" of sorts when you are leaving your house to make sure you pick up all of the items from the front table. a lego app that helps you find that piece in the big bin of pieces

danso 14y ago
These are wearable computers, not glasses with visual powers that are not yet feasible to implement, period (I'm guessing there would be a few technical issues with head-mounted-x-ray machines).
- freehunter 14y ago
  By x-ray view, I figured he meant it would download the schematic of the engine and display that overlaid on what you're seeing.
  - brk 14y ago
    The average internal combustion engine is really pretty simple. It is no more complex to a mechanic than the innards of a "powerful" desktop PC are to most computer people. All the glasses could do is display a layout of a known engine, they can't see inside it to highlight a problem. So, it seems like they would be more of an overall nuisance than anything else in that scenario.
    - Wintamute 14y ago
      The intriguing thing about proper AR, and the proposed "internet of things", is that in a sufficiently connected/smart environment a highly complex mechanical object could be overlaid with a schematic and data about where faults were, as long as the object was capable of reporting its detailed status over a network. That is effectively the X-ray specs the parent mentioned, and more.
    - Someone 14y ago
      AFAIK, _the_ drive for AR in maintenance is that it makes it possible for you to look at a schematic while using both hands for the task at hand, and in whatever position you are. For example, imagine inspecting a plane's fuel tanks from the inside. You could bring a manual, but getting it out of your pocket may be cumbersome, checking that you took it out after the job takes time, etc (forgetting your glasses is less of a risk; you would need them soon again. That manual? The next tank might have a different 200 page one)
      - danso 14y ago
        Depending on the PDF processes to create that manual and its overall design sensibility...imagine how hard it will be to navigate the same kind of manuals that don't behave on a tablet...sometimes, paper will still end up as being the best choice.
  - netcraft 14y ago
    yes, I didnt mean to really xray the engine, just give you an AR view of the schematic. I would assume it would require certain calibration points or barcodes on the engine to orient itself. And even if it was a nuisance once you learned the engine, it could be a useful tool in schools or someone learning a new engine. Even imagine a small engine machine shop that sees 10s or 100's of different kinds of engines.
- meanderingman 14y ago
  Not sure what you mean. The tech is already here on tablets. Check out this recent video from Metaio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iz4ykMn3UR4# http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i...! It uses 3d tracking and could easily be changed from an AC unit to an engine. I think the software is definitely ready.
wcoenen 14y ago
> x-ray kind of view of a vehicle or engine BMW did a research project about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9KPJlA5yds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9KPJlA5yds The problem with augmented reality is that you need incredibly low latency: http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/latency-the-sine-qua-non-of-ar-and-vr/ http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/latency-the-sine-qua-n... Early systems will likely stick to simple HUD views that don't require tracking of real objects with low latency.
- netcraft 14y ago
  yeah, for realtime AR, latency would be a big challenge, but even if in the beginning you could only take a picture and then overlay a schematic over the top of that view, I could see it being useful. I have looked up how to take a laptop apart before to change a part that required me to remove screws in certain places, unhook cables and do other steps in a particular order. Half the trouble with that is figuring out where the picture corresponds to the device in your hands - even if you had to manual advance the instructions, a HUD arrow pointing to the screw would be super useful I think.
- netcraft 14y ago
  That video is exactly what im talking about - I think it could be done even better, but you can see the possibilities. I dont really understand the need for tint on those glasses, but im sure it was just an example ;)
- meanderingman 14y ago
  Thats cool. Its from 2007 though. There is a similar project being worked on by Metaio that uses 3d tracking and runs on most tablet devices: http://youtu.be/iz4ykMn3UR4?t=26s http://youtu.be/iz4ykMn3UR4?t=26s

ari_elle 14y ago

Being a private person i just shudder when hearing concepts about face recognition or auto tweets in this context. ^ "Have an alternate reality game with digital objects people can place/write on. Only Glass users can see the teddy bear in the corner, and only google glass users can see the giant graffiti wall where people sign their name." I am sorry since for some this will not be considered as being a constructive contribution to the discussion, but there is an Anime out there about exactly(!) that. It's called Dennou Coil. Very good series. [Sorry, i just had to mention it! Forgive me.]

darkarmani 14y ago
This would work well with the images from that bad movie 13 Ghosts (2001 version). The movie wasn't that good, but the depictions of the ghosts which were only viewable with special glasses, was very well done.
Karunamon 14y ago
Hey, no need to apologize. It's relevant to the topic at hand and you've just given me, and quite likely some other folks, a series to check out. That's hardly something worth apologizing over :)

Shorel 14y ago

I think you would be OK carrying a battery on your belt. We all like to be a bit like Batman aren't we?

mitchty 14y ago
> We all like to be a bit like Batman aren't we? No, in fact as I'm growing older I'm getting more and more to the point of taking more and more "technology vacations" where I ditch my phone and don't use a computer for a night/weekend. It has overall improved my life in many ways. I already carry enough electronic gadgetry, at least with a phone it is in my hand or pocket. Having glasses with a battery pack on my belt? Yeah I'll wait until the tech improves.

gadders 14y ago

I want ones that work like in Shallow Hal.

mtgx 14y ago

Yeah, Facebook and Twitter integration are not going to happen.

Andrex 14y ago
If it's anything like Android, which seems likely, then the ball is in their court.
zoba 14y ago
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. Do you have some source to back up why that is "not going to happen"? I can't imagine a scenario where Google wouldn't allow it to link to Twitter and Facebook, especially considering that Google is opening it up to developers. Apple has already filed patents for a "Glass" type product and were Google to disallow developers to link to Facebook and Twitter, Apple would only have to allow this sort of integration...and then Apple has a strong selling point over Google. I'm trying to think of any successful consumer product that blocks this sort of integration and am not coming up with any. Xbox, iPhone, geez even my dad's blu-ray player and people's automobiles (Ford Sync) integrate with Facebook!

sambomillo 14y ago

Is there an augmented reality aspect to these? I got the impression that there was not, that it was simply a little area in the corner of your field of vision where it would display things.

bitdestroyer 14y ago
I believe that's what I heard as well. If I remember correctly, I think Robert Scoble said something to the effect of "It's like having a Nexus 7 in the corner of your vision." Apparently he's writing a book for Google Glass and has used them as part of the deal.
CognitiveLens 14y ago
People are excited because many reports suggested that, "in the future", Google Glass might support all sorts of great augmented reality features. People will be disappointed because, for the foreseeable future, Google Glass will be just an awkwardly-held standard mobile display with a camera.

Sunlis 14y ago

> Have an alternate reality game with digital objects people can place/write on. Only Glass users can see the teddy bear in the corner, and only google glass users can see the giant graffiti wall where people sign their name. There's a small team at Google working on a game that uses the real world as its map, Ingress[0]. I haven't been able to get access to it yet (typical Google closed beta), but from what I've seen of the game it would fit right in with Glass. [0] http://www.ingress.com/ http://www.ingress.com/

aharrison 14y ago
Slightly off-topic: I managed to snag an invite and play around with ingress a bit and I have to say, as a game, it is pretty terrible. You have to find portals, get within a few dozen meters, and then interact with them on a cool down. If there are no portals in your area, there is literally nothing to do in it. It looks like it was designed as an excuse for people to walk around with their GPS enabled and take pictures of "interesting" places. Which is too bad because the concept is kind of cool, but without any actual playability outside of these key locations...what's to keep me playing?
- lallysingh 14y ago
  It really depends on where you are. In NYC it's actually pretty hot.
  - aharrison 14y ago
    But that is the problem. There should be SOMETHING to do even when you aren't in a hotspot. In my town there are only 3 portals, and only (apparently) one person in the opposing faction. Why would I bother playing?
    - arkem 14y ago
      You could take photos and submit them as potential portal locations (you can share the photos with ingress from the android camera/gallery). That could encourage more people to play and give the current players more to do. The downside is that I think it takes a few weeks for portal suggestions to be processed.

r0s 14y ago

I can't think of a single feature here that wouldn't be better using existing technology on cellphones. Having these things always in your line of vision and no real input options sounds awful.

duaneb 14y ago
> Facial recognition with a little popup over people's heads with their name. Never forget someone's name > I can't think of a single feature here that wouldn't be better using existing technology on cellphones. It would be rather awkward to take out your phone and take a picture of someone.
- r0s 14y ago
  You got me, but that's just one lone feature to build a platform around... and the technology isn't there yet.
jff 14y ago
The input consists of voice commands and a trackpad on the side of the frame. It's not like you can't turn off the screen.
- r0s 14y ago
  Voice input just isn't ready. Commands, yes. Anything longer than a short sentence and it's unusable. That means this will forever be a Second device, either separate or connected to your smartphone. Working speech recognition would be a major revolution, so would useful Augmented Reality, and so would combining them in a lightweight wearable mobile device... but none of these exist. Big jumps in technology don't happen like that, and certainly not all at once at one company.

jhuckestein 14y ago

I tried Google Glass a little while ago. I think it's amazing but one thing I wasn't as aware of before was that it's not an augmented overlay at all. Think of it instead of a display in the corner of your field of vision. You can add information about what you're seing, but you can't effectively overlay things (i.e. highlight parts in an assembly etc)