Google AR Glasses Reportedly Under Development, May Launch Soon


SOURCE: THETEALMANGO.COM
JAN 14, 2022

After Apple and Meta, Google is also working on a next-generation set of AR glasses alongside its Mixed Reality headset, and we might hear official announcements in 2022- according to the latest report from New York Times.

Smartglasses and Augmented Reality is considered the next big revolution in the tech-wearable industry. The big players have already initiated their plans about how the AR glasses and VR headsets will play a key role in developing the metaverse.

Google seems to join the development secretly now, after being the first to introduce wearable Smart Glasses back in 2013. Although they are still in existence, the project failed to get any traction back then.

Nothing is shared officially from Google as of yet. However, we expect announcements soon as the rivals have already unveiled their plans. Let’s find out what do we know about Google’s Augmented Reality-enabled glasses right now.

Google Working on AR Glasses Secretly: New York Times Report

The New York Times reports that Google is “nurturing a new project,” which could be AR-based smart glasses. This project might have begun when Google acquired North last year. North is a company that deals in human-computer interfaces and smart glasses.

After the acquisition, North stopped production of its key product Focals 1.0 glasses, and also had to cancel the Focal 2.0 glasses. Their engineers started working for Google’s products including Pixel, Nest, and other hardware.

According to other reports, Google has been working on the Metaverse-related technology for years. Matthew Ball, a venture capitalist plus Metaverse-analyst says, “Most companies now see that the metaverse is around the corner. The narrative is a little ahead of the reality of these technologies, but this is a response to the enormity of the opportunity.”

With the upcoming Augmented Reality Glasses, Google will be looking to claim its share from the multi-billion dollar emerging economy while also trying to take control of the data handling when users enter into this space.

Recent Job Listing Also Hinting in the Same Direction

The New York Times report’s legitimacy gets confirmed with the recent formation of an AR OS-focused division at Google. The company had also posted a job listing that said “this division is building the software components that control and manage the hardware on [its] Augmented Reality (AR) products.”

Along with this, Clay Bavor, VP, Virtual and Augmented Reality at Google, had also said that “the company will be focused on deep R&D going forward” at the Google IO 2021.

Google also has the most experience in the tech-wearable industry as they had launched Smart Glass, which brought a smartphone-like interface in front of the user’s eyes via glasses in 2013, which is still in existence. However, they weren’t a big success commercially.

Google has formed a new “Labs” group focused on AR/VR Projects

Google has internally reorganized and formed a new group termed “Labs” which will oversee “high-potential, long-term projects including AR, VR, and Area 120. Clay Bevor will lead and serve the division as Vice President (VP).

According to TechCrunch, this division will focus on “extrapolating technology trends and incubating a set of high-potential, long-term projects.”

It is also revealed that Labs will work on existing AR and VR projects such as ARCore, the Starline conferencing booth with a 3D display, and Area 120. But, the division will also keep focusing and developing futuristic projects

You can find out more about these at the Google AR and VR website.

What are AR Glasses that Google Seem to be Developing?

AR or Augmented Reality Glasses/Smartglasses are wearable transparent devices equipped with lenses having AR-based technology. When a user wears it, the glasses generate AR content within the scene of the user’s viewpoint. These glasses allow users to merge virtual information to what they see in the real world.

They do not cut you from reality like VR headsets but adds elements using Augmented Reality. Sometimes, they are also called computer glasses that are able to customize their optical properties at runtime.

There can be various uses for these smart glasses such as gaming, advertisements, smart shopping, educational training, and more. They could act as the entry point to the Metaverse.

With Apple and Meta considering this futuristic tech as the next big thing, Google will never want to lag behind. Google could indeed be working on such a project. However, it’ll be interesting to see if they go for a stopgap headset relying on AR less and VR more, or if they’ll build fully functional smart glasses like their rivals.

With the major players seeing massive potential in this emerging tech trend, the future seems very exciting. Don’t forget to share your opinions about the Metaverse using the comment box.

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