Google glass, smart glasses

https://plus.google.com/111626127367496192147/posts

Updating my thoughts about 'smart glasses'

If you search my blog with the word 'glasses', you find that I've been thinking about combining functionality through tech glasses for a while, sending myself emails since around 2003 or so. A hands-free camera through glasses became an interest long ago, then further so when I used to juggle while running. I later read about MIT's memory glasses. I also designed a cordless sport headphone to use with my iPod Shuffle.  Combined with my interest in motion capture, I began to consider ways of combining GPS / wifi / satellites with glasses for overlaying avatars onto the public, for use in a simulation environment for augmented reality gaming, training, sport, etc.

Think Microsoft Kinect, only users are not limited to one location. Game players would view their environment through glasses with built in headphones and microphones. Avatars can be superimposed over the players, and integrate with other elements that could be projected into a given environment, using the local area network and localized GPS or cameras to track the players. Like any POV game, the result would be a mixed/augmented reality of actual physical involvement by the player (running and spatial relations), with superimposed elements (the avatar/appearance of other players, AI elements, effects, etc.) and sounds would be blended into the actual surrounding sounds and voices of other players around the person as well. Add some earphones to the frames.

An indoor arena or warehouse environment with a ceiling rack system built above would allow for an array of cameras to capture movement, like motion capture or similar to the Kinect. Or possibly, players would have to wear transmitters on their points of articulation to relay their postures back to the system.

Uses could include military simulations, team sports, sci-fi/fantasy spectator sports with pro teams that combine athletics with simulated 'powers' and effects, simple social uses like having a public avatar or virtual fashion adornment, theme parks (imagine a roller coaster ride that combines not only augmented reality with superimposed elements but allows users to see each other's point of view by dialing into each other's camera/audio.

This idea of dialing into another person's experience as it is happening is an entirely other dimension that opens up a huge range of potential...

And of course public marketing - information about our environment being broadcast visually and narrated with audio - users would set up preferences or maybe toggle preferences via mobile devices.

Concerns: Use of subvocal technology for communication would afford greater privacy for both users and those around them. The implications of mainstream social agreement to wear cameras in daily interaction are...many.

Ideas submitted to Google here today. What the hell.