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Google to Publicly Test AR Prototypes Starting in August

July 20, 2022 From roadtovr

Google announced that the company will be conducting real world tests of its early AR prototypes starting next month.

The company says in a blog post that it plans to to test AR prototypes in the real world as a way to “better understand how these devices can help people in their everyday lives.”

Some of the key areas Google is emphasizing are things like real-time translation and AR turn-by-turn navigation.

“We’ll begin small-scale testing in public settings with AR prototypes worn by a few dozen Googlers and select trusted testers,” the company says. “These prototypes will include in-lens displays, microphones and cameras — but they’ll have strict limitations on what they can do. For example, our AR prototypes don’t support photography and videography, though image data will be used to enable experiences like translating the menu in front of you or showing you directions to a nearby coffee shop.”

Critically, Google says the research prototypes look like “normal glasses.” This was no doubt partially informed by their rocky experience with Google Glass starting in 2013 which spawned the neologism ‘glasshole’ due to the device’s relative high visibility and supposed privacy concerns of wearing a camera. Glass is still around, albeit only for enterprise users.

Google says it wants to take it slow with its AR glasses though and include a “strong focus on ensuring the privacy of the testers and those around them.” Although the units will clearly pack camera sensors to do its job, Google says after translating text or doing turn-by-turn directions, the image data will be deleted unless it will be used for analysis and debugging.

“In that case, the image data is first scrubbed for sensitive content, including faces and license plates. Then it is stored on a secure server, with limited access by a small number of Googlers for analysis and debugging. After 30 days, it is deleted,” the company says in a FAQ on the program.

Testers will also be prohibited from testing in public places such as schools, government buildings, healthcare locations, places of worship, social service locations, areas meant for children (e.g., schools and playgrounds), emergency response locations, rallies or protests, and other similar places. For navigation, testers are also banned from using AR prototypes while driving, operating heavy machinery, and engaging in sports.

Google’s inclusion of displays in its public prototypes is a step beyond Meta’s Project Aria, which started on-campus testing of AR prototypes in 2020 that notably included everything you’d expect from AR glasses but the displays. We’re waiting to hear more about Meta’s Project Nazare however, which are said to be “true augmented reality glasses.”

As for Apple, well, there’s only rumors out there for now on specifications and target launch dates for the company’s MR headset and follow-up AR glasses. It’s clear however we’re inching ever closer to a future where the biggest names in established tech will directly compete to become leading forces in what many have hailed as a class of device which will eventually replace your smartphone.

Filed Under: AR glasses, AR News, augmented reality glasses, google, google ar, google ar glasses, google ar testing, Google Glass, News

Google Reportedly Working On Its Own Mixed Reality Glasses

January 21, 2022 From vrscout

Insiders claim the device resembles a pair of ski goggles and will launch in 2024.

According to The Verge, Google is currently in development of its own AR device capable of blending virtual graphics over the real world, citing “two people familiar with the project.” Similar to Snap’s Spectacles 3 glasses, Google’s device will supposedly feature two outward-facing cameras capable of projecting digital graphics over the wearer’s real-world environment.

Codenamed Project Iris, sources claim the device will rely upon Google’s data centers to render content remotely and beam it to the headset via a stable internet connection. This will allow the device to operate independently without the need for an external power source such as a dedicated PC or smartphone.

The original Google Glass / Image Credit: Robert Couto Photography

The Verge states that certain members of the Pixel team may be involved in the development of specific pieces of hardware for the device, though additional information is limited at the moment. Roughly 300 people are supposedly working on the headset from a secret facility somewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area, with more hires on the way.

The device is expected to launch in 2024 alongside Project Starline, a revolutionary chat booth that was revealed last year. Using advanced holographic technology, the next-generation communication device is supposed to be mind-blowing. Rumor has it a pilot program is already underway with several participating Fortune 500 company’s.

Image Credit: Google Inc.

Google has a long history in the immersive technology industry. In 2014, the company released the first iteration of Google Carboard, a cost-effective head-mounted display designed specifically for mobile VR. This was followed by Google Daydream View in 2016, a mobile VR headset compatible with Pixel devices.

If real, Project Iris would be the company’s first AR device since the ill-fated Google Glass, which was released in 2013 to underwhelming reception.

For more information check out The Verge’s full report here.

Feature Image Credit: Robert Couto Photography

Filed Under: AR Hardware, augmented reality, Google Glass, Mixed Reality, News

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