Google Glass

Google Glass is a wearable, voice-controlled Android device that resembles a pair of eyeglasses and displays information directly in the user’s field of vision.

Google Glass offers an augmented realityexperience by using visual, audio and location-based inputs to provide relevant information. For example, upon entering an airport, a user could automatically receive flight status information. Users can also control the device manually through voice commands and a touchpad located on its frame.

The Google Glass operating system is based on a version of Android, and it can run apps called Glassware that are optimized for the device. The glasses have built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and a camera for taking photographs and video.

Features

  • Touchpad: A touchpad is located on the side of Google Glass, allowing users to control the device by swiping through a timeline-like interface displayed on the screen. Sliding backward shows current events, such as weather, and sliding forward shows past events, such as phone calls, photos, circle updates, etc.
  • Camera: Google Glass has the ability to take 5 Mp photos and record 720p HD video.
  • Display: The Explorer version of Google Glass uses a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS)(based on an LCoS chip from Himax), field-sequential color system, LED illuminated display. The display’s LED illumination is first P-polarized and then shines through the in-coupling polarizing beam splitter(PBS) to the LCoS panel. The panel reflects the light and alters it to S-polarization at active pixel sensor sites. The in-coupling PBS then reflects the S-polarized areas of light at 45° through the out-coupling beam splitter to a collimating reflector at the other end. Finally, the out-coupling beam splitter (which is a partially reflecting mirror, not a polarizing beam splitter) reflects the collimated light another 45° and into the wearer’s eye

My glass

Google offers a companion Android and iOS app called MyGlass, which allows the user to configure and manage the device.

Voice Activation

Other than the touchpad, Google Glass can be controlled using just “voice actions”. To activate Glass, wearers tilt their heads 30° upward (which can be altered for preference) or simply tap the touchpad, and say “O.K., Glass.” Once Glass is activated, wearers can say an action, such as “Take a picture”, “Record a video”, “Hangout with [person/Google+ circle]”, “Google ‘What year was Wikipedia founded?'”, “Give me directions to the Eiffel Tower”, and “Send a message to John” (many of these commands can be seen in a product video released in February 2013). For search results that are read back to the user, the voice response is relayed using bone conduction through a transducer that sits beside the ear, thereby rendering the sound almost inaudible to other people.