Details of Google's Project Glass Revealed In FCC Report

Flozzin writes with news that documents published to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's website have provided new details about Project Glass, Google's augmented-reality headset. "A test report describes video playing on the device alongside audio running to a 'vibrating element.' The description tallies with a patent filing suggesting it plays sound via 'bone-conduction' tech rather than earbuds. Developers are due to receive a test edition of the headset later this year. ... [The FCC's papers] describe data being sent to the small screen display via wi-fi and Bluetooth using a radio unit manufactured by Broadcom. The equipment is also said to be able to store video files internally and can be recharged by plugging a power connector into the computing unit on the right-hand arm of the glasses' frame. However, the most arresting detail is the suggestion that audio is provided without the user needing to wear headphones which might disturb how they hear ambient sounds. Last week Google filed a patent application entitled Wearable Computing Device with Indirect Bone-Conduction Speaker."

Comments

Need for padded poles.

[LikwidCirkel]

In a few years, I expect to see the rate of pedestrian-car accidents and people running into poles to go up by an order of magnitude. Sure, it overlays in your field of vision, so it's not like looking down at a phone, but we're just not meant to multitask with our senses the way this kind of device demands.

I don't even want to think about how many idiots will drive while using such devices.

Re:Need for padded poles.

[JaredOfEuropa]

Driving with these glasses showing you where to go should be safer than having to glance to the side at a satnav screen from time to time. And a pedestrian or cyclist reading an incoming message on a HUD is actually less likely to crash into a pole than the person who takes his cellphone out of his pocket and looks down at it while continuing to walk/pedal.

Re:Need for padded poles.

[russotto]

In a few years, I expect to see the rate of pedestrian-car accidents and people running into poles to go up by an order of magnitude.

You forgot about Google's self-driving car.

Re:Need for padded poles.

[icebike]

These glasses never block your vision or require you to take your eyes off the road, so at least you will see things you are approaching. They also have a camera embedded so they could probably be programmed to know when you are driving, and limit the display of data to just navigation info.

Re:Need for padded poles.

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't want a car that's going to take a close to optimal route just so it can drive me by a few more advertisements.

That's a ludicrous interpretation of Google's approach to business. The ads will be displayed in the car or else on its windows. Whether you see them won't depend on what route is taken - where would be the sense in that?

Re:Need for padded poles.

[AlphaWolf_HK]

They say using a mobile phone while driving causes accidents, and nobody disagreed so they banned it in many places. Yet when they did so, even though people used their mobiles less while driving, accidents didn't go down.

Just because you *think* it is a stupid choice, doesn't necessarily make it so. Without actually putting the method of interaction into field use, you don't know how exactly it will effect users, or how they'll adopt it. For the longest time people believed that the UI seen in minority report would be an awesome thing to have, only now that touch devices are widespread, we're seeing just how bad touchscreens are ergonomically and how little demand there is for large touchscreen displays.

This could end up going either way, it depends on whether or not the HUD ends up being a distraction or help you stay focused better. So far though, HUD's have been very helpful, enough to the point that almost all military navigation systems include them.

Re:Need for padded poles.

[Omestes]

I highly doubt that. People don't _need_ directions very often.

I live in a very large, sprawling (17,000 sq. mi according to Wikipedia.), city. I know less than 20% well enough to know exactly where I am going without looking it up. We like to go new places, and eat at new restaurants, so I generally have my phone's GPS sitting around when we go places. Even when I know roughly where something is, by cross streets, I often use GPS for the exact location. So, around twice a week, we do use GPS. A couple of times a year, we also travel, and we use GPS almost 100% of the time when doing so.

People use GPS more than you think.

I'm not saying that your wrong, people will use it for idiotic reasons. Hell, my mind is still boggled that people are allowed to have TVs in the front of their cars. People do all sorts of idiotic things while driving. I've almost been killed by several women doing their make up, a guy reading the paper, and god knows how many people texting or reading on their phones. A HUD won't really be any worse than what we have.

Addiction

[CRCulver]

It'll be interesting to see how addictive this technology becomes, especially as many people already can't be separated from their smartphones. One of the more thought-provoking things in Vinge's novel Marooned in Realtime (about the pace of technology accelerating towards a singularity) is that human beings from later in the 21st century feel disoriented and sluggish when disconnected from wearable technology that provides them 24/7 with sources of information.

Re:Bone Fone

[icebike]

Being Built into a wearable display device makes it a whole separate idea than simply a poor quality headphone.

Remember that patents don't mean that ANY prior use of a technology makes any other use obvious, and thus non-patentable.
All you need to do is combine them in a new non-obvious way in an application not seen before.

Bone conduction isn't necessary for these glasses to do their job. They could use standard ear buds.
It just makes it easier to put them on and take them off.

You might find prior art, but nothing posted above comes close.

Re:Not augmented reality

[Gaygirlie]

Google Glass is no more augmenting reality than a TV set is.

If it were rendering also the view behind it so there was no loss of vision, then it would be augmented reality. As it is it's the same as if you strapped your cell phone on an arm attached to your head a foot out or so.

This may come as a surprise to you....but it's transparent.

Re:Prescription glasses

[Albanach]

There are images of Sergey Brin wearing them outdoors while attached to sunglasses. Looking at the design I don't think you'd wear them over prescription glasses, but rather would get prescription lenses for the existing frame.

Re:Prescription glasses

[Albanach]

A bit more searching brings up this article which has an image of them incorporated into more 'normal' looking glasses. So it might be possible to use them in conjunction with your regular eyewear.

Privacy?

[tlhIngan]

So, assuming these things get popular, anyone sort of concerned that now everyone has a camera recording their every move 24/7? Or worse yet, it's going to be indexed an searched and tracked by Google?

Sure, crime will go down - after all, would anyone want to rob anyone where a yell would bring dozens of cameras recording someone get mugged/raped/etc on the street? Or have dozens of cameras recording every face, so you can tell when that sex offender may be breaking their conditions (in other words, a boon for law enforcement when they have dozens of cameras and angles that can pinpoint anyone at any location).

Then there's the somewhat more ... private side, given there'll be dozens of cameras watching you coming out of that ... adult entertainment establishment.

I'm not quite sure society is ready yet for a technology that really puts everyone in the spotlight - where there's a camera on you every moment you step outside your house. Compile the results of dozens of cameras and people would have a pretty good track of your movements even if you only appear for a few frames in every glasses. Between law enforcement, Google ad tracking, insurance companies, they'd be really interested in your whereabouts, your activities, and even what you eat and do...