After initially announcing it at Google I/O 2022 in May, Google has confirmed that it will begin testing its prototype AR glasses next month. The company plans to show the glasses to the public by selecting a few outside testers in addition to employees. If you live in a mountain area, chances are you’ll come across people with oddly designed glasses.
- Google to publicly test different features of its next-gen AR glasses
- Features mentioned to be tested include translation and navigation
- The company announced that it will select some testers from the public
Google will offer opportunity to test translation and navigation features
Although the capabilities of these test units are limited, this public test will allow Google to evaluate the glasses’ capabilities in real-world scenarios. According to the company, the prototypes include basic sensors, including a microphone and camera, as well as an integrated display for the lens. Recording of images and videos will be disabled, but not the camera itself. The saved image data will still be used during translation, transcription and live viewing.
Google said it will implement several security and privacy measures, including enabling conscious viewers to delete their image data from all logs. Additionally, other sensitive information will also be removed after the beta phase. Additional image data for research purposes will be stored on secure servers and then permanently deleted after 30 days.
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Last May, Google shared a video of a prototype Glasses demonstrating real-time translation capabilities. The glasses are able to pick up audio and automatically transcribe it with enhanced visual text that the wearer can see. We can assume that the feature will also be available for the next prototype the company will use when it kicks off the beta phase in August.
Google’s next-generation AR glasses are expected to be available to the public, unlike the updated Google Glass designed for businesses. More features and specs for Google’s new AR glasses are likely to emerge in the coming months.
Do you think AR glasses are useful in any way? Let’s discuss it in the comments!