Google AR glasses can translate
Google gave a demonstration of future AR glasses during Google I/O. A woman communicates with her Chinese mother without any problems, even though they do not understand each other's language. How it is that mother and daughter do not speak each other's language remains unanswered and is not so relevant here. More importantly, one person can speak Mandarin and the other English. You will see a written translation through AR glasses. It may now seem as if Google has the scoop and isn't launching AR glasses a little earlier than Apple. But this is an experiment, and it is still uncertain when it will be launched on the market. CEO Sunday Pichai said his company has “still a long way to go” before they can be released. Apple can still catch up. In addition, Facebook's Meta is also working on similar glasses.
On the other hand, Google already had the first with Google Glass years ago. These glasses failed to gain acceptance among a wide audience and were mainly used by consumers for selfies, to show that you had one in your hands. There were really no practical applications and the price was too high to just buy for fun. For professional use, Google Glass is a success in some industries.
Practical: Google Translate on glasses
The fact that Google has now opted for a very practical application with these new glasses, making you understandable in another language, could well be a smart move. Although the question still remains: how much are you willing to pay for it? Talking to your foreign in-laws or your new Ukrainian housemates can be sufficient reason to buy such glasses, but ordering a drink on holiday is rather overkill. Google itself mentions another useful application: people who are deaf and can read what is being said with such glasses.
In the tearjerker below you can see the glasses in action:
Augmented reality can break down communication barriers – and help us better understand each other by making language visible. Watch what happens when we bring technologies like transcription and translation to your line of sight. #GoogleIO ↓ pic.twitter.com/ZLhd4BWPGh
— Google (@Google) May 11, 2022
Google AR Glasses
During a short demo at the Google I/O developer conference, Google how these new consumer glasses can work together with Google Translate. The emphasis is on the real world, which must still be visible. “It’s important we design in a way that’s built for the real world and doesn’t take away from it,” said Pichai. Google probably took advantage of the knowledge of smart eyewear maker North, which it acquired in 2020. Google can't say anything about a production timeline or release date yet. In the meantime, Apple is said to be working on making glasses that can also adjust to your visual acuity, so that people with prescription glasses can also use them. In addition, there is talk of realityOS, a special operating system that will control Apple's glasses.