From the first Sony Walkman to today’s ubiquitous fitness trackers, wearing technology is nothing new. Companies are stepping up their game to try and dominate the market with the most technologically advanced wearables.
When Google introduced their now defunct Google Glass in 2013 for a hefty $1,500 price tag, they got a lot of media attention – but not for the right reasons. Privacy and safety concerns along with a weak design and less-than-stellar capabilities brought Google Glass down in 2015.
But don’t count the smart glass trend out yet. There are plenty of reasons they’ll continue being developed and perfected by companies around the world.
Imagine this scenario: you’re walking to work and someone calls your name.
You turn and see someone that you faintly recognize but can’t quite remember their face—or even how you know them.
Thankfully, you’re wearing smart glasses that are linked to your Facebook page. You instantly see that the person calling you is your former high school classmate Steve Todd. You blow a ‘phew’ of relief as he heads toward you to reminisce about the old days.
Smart glasses in enterprise and industrial markets
So there’s one everyday instance where smart glasses saved you a bit of awkward embarrassment. But imagine what could be done if you could give someone the ability to see what you’re seeing.
Osterhout Design Group offers their R-7 smart glass users the TeamViewer QuickSupport app to enable easy remote connections for real-time support.
Technicians can see what the R-7 wearers see, allowing for quick guidance in the field, administration and support—even in the toughest, grittiest environments.
The R7 connects to a mobile device via Bluetooth LE and doesn’t need to be plugged in, so it can be taken and used anywhere—making remote support for things as far-flung as utility poles and underground wires a glance away for the wearer.
NASA uses smart glasses to facilitate better communication with astronauts in space. Astronauts wear smart glasses and connect to engineers and technicians here on Earth to monitor and repair complicated shuttle equipment remotely.
The astronaut wearing the glasses simply follows instructions provided to get things operating as they should. No need for pages of instructions or months of mechanical training before launch, saving significant time and money.
Takeaways
As augmented and virtual reality grow in popularity, there’s no doubt that smart glasses—despite their looks—may be utilized in more places for a greater range of uses.
Since they can be used for anything that a mobile device would normally be used, analysts have forecasted the growth of smart glasses to be about $9 billion by 2021—topping other wearables.
Are you ready to take head-worn computing to the next level and put down your phone?
Check out this video that showcases how TeamViewer works with smart glasses.
