Google shows HUD glasses concept


by Cyril Kowaliski — 2:31 PM on April 4, 2012

There's been a lot of talk about Google covertly developing heads-up-display glasses. Apparently, the speculation had a nugget of truth behind it. A small nugget. Google revealed its Project Glass initiative earlier today, but the company doesn't seem to have an actual product ready. Instead, it's showing a concept of what an eventual product might look like, perhaps in a few years.

"We're sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input," Google explains. "So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do."

Yeah, if this were a real product, it would be classic Google: a great feat of engineering, but a little tone-deaf from a usability and social acceptability standpoint. I'm sure geeks who fall somewhere along the autism spectrum would have no problem talking to themselves in public; but for the rest of us, I think "bizarrely awkward" would about sum up the experience. Substituting the vocal controls for something more discreet might work, but that doesn't address the issue of the very conspicuous glasses—or the question of how to serve users who need to wear prescription glasses.

(Thanks to TR reader DancinJack for the tip.)

   
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