Last Wednesday, Google revealed to the public what they are calling “Project Glass”, a project that has been cooking in the Google X labs for the last two years. Google X lab is where Google develops next-generation products such as the autonomous car and a “space elevator”. Project Glass is a concept that seeks to put your virtual world in front of you, quite literally.
Using eyeglasses, Google has replaced the lens on one side of the eyeglasses with a transparent digital screen that displays media right in front of your eyes. The media-rich eyeglasses are also voice prompt activated so the user is able to interact with all the various applications that are displayed on the screen without having to use any touch interfaces.
So, this looks like a really great innovation but Google admits there are still some kinks in the design and usability aspects that need ironing out. Some of the questions they have is whether the glasses should operate as a stand-alone device or should be used together with a smartphone. In addition, there is still the other issue at hand, how much will they cost and what market will they serve.
But this to me seems to be missing the point and not addressing the elephant in the room. Think for a moment that you are walking on the street viewing all the maps, messages and other pop-up notifications and you do not see that truck coming down the street? I think the main issue is simply the most glaring; how will people be able to use their sight for their normal day-to-day tasks when you have all these icons obscuring your view? Take a look at the video below and sound off on the comments below. Would you use these smart glasses?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4&w=500&h=300]
