AR glasses are coming, and while Meta, Apple, and Snap are continuing to develop their new digitally-enabled devices, Google is also looking to advance its AR efforts, with public testing of its AR glasses coming soon.
As Google explains:
“Starting next month, we plan to test RA prototypes in the real world. This will allow us to better understand how these devices can help people in their daily lives. And as we develop experiences like AR navigation, it will help us to take into account factors such as the weather and busy intersections, which can be difficult, sometimes impossible, to completely recreate indoors. “
Google has not shared any new images of its AR device except the previous developing frames, but it did provide this video of its developing “Proto-29” AR glasses at its early I / O conference. ‘year.
According to Google’s description, it looks like these are the glasses you’ll try, with prototypes of RA “that look like normal glasses with a screen inside the lens and visual and audio sensors.”
Testing will be limited to selected areas of the U.S., with strict limitations on where testers may operate and the types of activities in which they may participate.
In other words, San Francisco: the tests will be conducted in San Francisco, around the Mountain View headquarters of the search giant (note, this is purely a speculation of mine, Google has not specified the areas where it will be tested) .
“We will start small-scale testing in public environments with RA prototypes that carry a few dozen selected Googlers and trusted verifiers. These prototypes will include screens inside lenses, microphones, and cameras, but will have strict limitations on what they can do. For example. , our RA prototypes do not support photography and videography, although image data will be used to allow experiences such as translating the menu in front of you or showing you directions to a nearby cafe. “
Google says it will test the elements of translation, transcription and navigation, while having a better idea of how glasses work in the real world, as opposed to the closed lab environment.
It is a further step towards the future with AR, where we will all have digital screens superimposed on our vision at all times. Which seems like it could lead to information overload. I mean, our attention span has already evolved due to advances in connectivity, with trends like short format video probably favoring it even more, allowing people to process more and more information at faster speeds.
Having directions and similar directions, at all times, will speed it up even more, and although most people like the concept of having their own Iron Man-like information screen in front of their eyes, it will be interesting to see how this develops in practice and what this means for wider consumer trends.
Our brain will never be able to shut down, and what will this do for our health? Will Refresh and Visine see a sudden increase in sales, due to overworked eyes?
Will RA open up all new opportunities for ads and promotions, right in front of people as they look at your store, and how will this affect best practices and processes in the broader digital advertising industry?
There are a lot of questions, which will probably take years to answer, but it’s getting closer, with several AR glasses getting closer to launch.