Original post author: Ryan A few days ago, Google released its first software update for their "Google Glass" glasses in over two years. While this isn't necessarily big news, it got me thinking about the potential for "smart glasses". The glasses would have to consist of three major components aside from the normal frame and lenses that a normal pair of glasses have. They would need a camera (preferably a very small camera). They would need a way to display data to the wearer. It would be ideal if this were done by somehow projecting light directly into the wearer's eye - that way other people wouldn't be able to see what the wearer is reading. The last thing it needs is a communication chip, so it can send & receive data from a smartphone. The smartphone can do all the heavy lifting in terms of processing. An actual consumer-ready pair of "smart glasses" would be revolutionary for two reasons. First, it could give you a heads-up display for your life. The camera could recognize critical things in real time and give the wearer valuable information. The obvious things are people's names could float over their heads (no more forgetting names), driving or walking directions could be overlaid right onto the roads, printed text in foreign languages could be translated and displayed in your native language, and books/articles could be right in front of your eyes without needing to crane your neck. Thinking bigger, there is much more that could be done. Wikipedia information for just about anything your looking at could be brought up instantly. You could see the reviews for a restaurant by just looking at the storefront. You could see the amazon prices for products while walking through a store. You could see the nutritional facts for menu items. You could even multitask by showing a sports game in a corner while you do chores. The second big advancement of such glasses would be related more directly to the camera. People could record - and save - every waking hour of their lives. Actually, hard-drive space is getting so cheap that this is essentially possible right now. This would basically be like a dash-cam for your life. It would revolutionize legal trials, and it would turn memory into a completely different concept. For people who don't want to record ALL the time, they could still quickly (and silently) take photos. The glasses might be programmed to take a photo when you wink or blink in a certain way. Obviously, there are huge huge drawbacks to this technology. First of all, people aren't going to react well to being recorded all of the time. I know I wouldn't. In fact, the glasses would probably get banned from a lot of places - bars, business meetings, casinos, movie theaters, and universities. Stores probably won't love the idea that another company - like Amazon - can overlay their own prices onto their own store shelves. Speaking of Amazon, I predict that Amazon will be the first to market on "smart glasses". The Google Glass never really hit the consumer market. I bet Google, Facebook, Samsung, and Apple are all developing smart glasses of some sort. Microsoft got burned by being late to the market of search engines and smartphones, so I expect they are probably trying to develop this product also. Offering a highly diverse collection of glasses styles will be crucial - people want to express themselves with their eyewear. Cutting a deal with Luxottica would probably go a long way, but it's not essential because there are many other eyewear companies that could fit the bill. For instance, we might see one of these companies acquire Warby Parker. Like it or dislike it, this technology is coming - and unlike 3D TVs and smart watches, this won't be a gimmick when it's finally done right. The problem is, it might take some time until it's done right - we will need to get through the "flip phone" age of this technology before we can see the good stuff.
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