Google to Start Testing Its Smart Glasses Prototypes in Public Spaces

pcmag.com:

Google’s latest smart glasses are going to start popping up in public spaces as part of a company test to turn the prototypes into practical devices.   

Back in May, Google debuted(Opens in a new window) an augmented reality prototype, a pair of smart glasses that can translate languages in real-time and display the corresponding text over the lenses. 

The company has been refining the prototype in Google labs. But now it wants to see how the glasses perform in the wild. “So starting next month, we plan to test AR prototypes in the real world,” the company wrote(Opens in a new window) in a Tuesday blog post. “This will allow us to better understand how these devices can help people in their everyday lives.”

For now, the trial will occur on a “small scale” involving a few dozen Google employees and “select trusted testers” who will be wearing the smart glasses. The same testers and employees must undergo “protocol, privacy, and safety training.”

The plan is to use the devices outdoors and in urban environments. “As we develop experiences like AR navigation, it will help us take factors such as weather and busy intersections into account—which can be difficult, sometimes impossible, to fully recreate indoors,” the company said. However, the tests will steer clear of involving schools, churches, hospitals, government buildings, and areas meant for children. 

The prototypes themselves will come outfitted with an in-lens display, camera, and microphone. But to protect people’s privacy, the company is turning off the videography and photography functions. That said, the glasses will still be able to tap the built-in camera to power translation and navigation features over the in-lens display. 

“It's early, and we want to get