Tag Archives: Google Glass

Through the Google Glass: What Lies On the Other Side of Augmented Reality?

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I have a confession to make: I love the internet. This love has turned my MacBook into something of a digital albatross, a ball with a chain only as long as the Wi-Fi signal’s reach. Smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices have gone some way to rectifying this problem; all those formerly pesky little wasted moments between points A and B now burst with potential! But these devices still have the same crucial design flaw as a desktop computer: They separate and compartmentalize the virtual from the physical.

Enter augmented reality (AR). Two separate realities that demand constant switching back and forth are replaced by a single integrated space that works wherever the user is, an antidote to strained eyes and lamentable posture. Beyond mere convenience, AR also allows users to both enhance physical objects with digital information and reify abstract ideas for a more intuitive learning experience. Everyone from surgeons to white people seems poised to benefit from having their world slathered in layers of data.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4VRFuSyzzc

Looks pretty cool and all but TBH I was praying for the spinning beach ball of death to show up and make this douche force quit his flirting.

But might this techno-infusion hasten the decline of some essential element(s) of what it means to be human? As much as it can hurt to tear myself away from tumblr and Facebook, I feel a little bit freer once I abandon my laptop. I get on the bus. Notice people. Make up stories about them. What happens when the mystery is erased, when everything we look at is mediated through a gaze of questionable benevolence? The appeal of AR lies in its capacity to create a more harmonious relationship with technology, but the prospect of having no escape from it is what makes it so terrifying. Besides, aren’t our lives overwhelming and over-saturated enough as is?

I’m confident humanity will adapt, but that’s not exactly comforting. I don’t want to live in a Shteygartian future where books are smelly artifacts, or where I’ll be nostalgic for days like this, spent happily clacking away in the jealous embrace of a machine trying to keep me tied down while it still can.

Living Life Through (A Pane of) Glass

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An interesting example of AR I found was Nokia’s City Lens app. This app uses the phone’s camera to take a live image and overlays points of interest on top of corresponding locations. For example if I was walking down an unfamiliar street and was looking for a good place to eat I could simply take out my phone and fire up the City Lens app and see if there were any restaurants nearby. If there were no restaurants on the immediate street I was on it could point me to restaurants nearby. I would just walk in the general direction the compass was pointing and eventually get closer to the restaurant I was looking for.

In addition to being extremely helpful in helping people navigate AR has many benefits in instructional settings as well. For example a medical student can wear Google glasses and practice his/her surgical skills. The student can see what areas he/she should target and can get tips on how to perform procedures better with the help of visual overlays delivered via AR technologies such as Google glass or Oculus Rift.

However, with its many positives AR technologies have negative aspects as well. First of all the health effects of these technologies are unknown as they are relatively new. Products such as Google glass and Oculus rift sit so close to the eye and demand frequent attention from the user so eye problems such as lazy eye may occur. Second, many of these AR technologies overlay a pane of glass in front of the user whether that be in the form of a smartphone, the prism projector display of Google glass or the head mounted display of the Oculus Rift so essentially when a user is using AR technologies they are living their life through a pane of glass. This begs the question of is it really necessary to augment everything in our lives? In some situations such as medical teaching AR can be a valuable asset but in everyday life such as finding coffee shop or restaurant do we really need this AR technology to help us? Will we never feel the excitement of getting lost again? AR technologies can get in between human relationships literally, with a pane of glass if used improperly. How do you know that someone talking to you is really paying attention? I think these health and etiquette issues associated with AR technologies must be addressed first before products such as Google glass and Oculus Rift can be widely adopted and deployed.

(This Simpsons video presents some of the negative aspects of AR technologies in a funny but true way.)

The four eyes of AR

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Okay, real talk. Before this class I had no idea what augmented reality actually meant. It’s one of those buzz terms thrown around the Internet a lot, but I just assumed it was some sort of immersive video game. I’ve never really loved video games, probably because I didn’t grow up playing them, so I wrongly assumed I could ignore AR. Not the case.

I found lots of AR examples, but wearable devices kept showing up over and over again. After reading Gary Shteyngart’s “Ok, Glass” I wanted to find other alternatives. (I had previously read the article when it came out this summer, but reading it a second time was much less thrilling and I ended up thinking “What even is the point of Glass aside from taking video?”)

I found this article profiling an alternative to Glass. Innovega’s iOptik utilizes contact lenses with regular eyeglasses. They believe their technology can be a viable permanent replacement for conventional lenses. Like other augmented realities, iOptik will provide users with gaming, movies, apps and driving functions.

Here’s a video explaining the product. My thoughts below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF7OvoHzL8I

Linked here.

  • The first two examples (interactive media and enhanced care) would require further innovation from other industries. Overall, I think this is a major drawback to any AR, just getting people onboard. Especially the healthcare sector, where personal security is the issue.
  • Likewise, I think the fitness/vital tracking is a major selling point. The FitBit and Nike Fuel Band are extremely popular.
  • I actually laughed so hard at the actual footage. They’ve got a great vintage filter going on. Also, it raised the question about navigation. Is this voice activated?
  • The ending. Yeah. Not great.

Benefits/Drawbacks

I don’t see any benefits from augmented realities. I battle my technology addiction everyday and I’m not interested in adding another device (or really a way of life) into my routine. AR’s market themselves as “like a phone, but different.” I’m cool with my phone. And maybe this is just vain, but I have no need to wear glasses or contacts and I want to keep it that way.

As well, always feel like I’m on information overload and my eyes can only handle so many hours of screen time a day. I also have trouble sleeping if I spend too much time on my laptop. Despite my constant connectivity, I try extremely hard to limit my virtual communication when I’m with other people. I can’t even imagine carrying on a conversation with someone who is also streaming a movie in their glasses.

I guess my benefits are really my drawbacks, but I also think we’re nowhere close to have this technology be expansive enough to become popular. Having a device with a few functions isn’t worth it.

Obviously AR is here to stay, so I’ll just have to suck it up. Hey, if society ends up being anything like the movie Her, I’m fine with that. It was a good movie.