Google Smart Glasses: Optional Display & New Tech
Source: glassalmanac.com
Google Smart Glasses Development
Google is still developing its smart glasses, and a release date has not been announced. After an initial preview in April, more information was shared at the Google I/O conference. The glasses run on Android XR and work with Google’s AI assistant, Gemini.
Features and Functionality
The smart glasses include a camera, microphones, speakers, and an optional display in the lens for information on the go. They are designed to work with Android smartphones, so users can interact with apps without using their phones. At Google I/O, Google showed how the glasses can send messages, schedule appointments, provide directions, capture photos, and translate conversations.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Google is partnering with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to design stylish smart glasses. Because of this, a collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, a key partner of Meta, is unlikely, as EssilorLuxottica has chosen to work more with Meta. Google is also working with Samsung to expand its Android XR collaboration to include smart glasses. The companies are developing a standard “software and hardware reference platform” so other manufacturers can create smart glasses based on Android XR. Developers should be able to create apps for the platform later in the year.
Google and Samsung are still working together on Project Moohan, a mixed reality headset based on Android XR, planned for release in 2025. While details and a launch timeline for the smart glasses are not yet available, Google has said that prototype testing is happening in public, and more updates are expected soon. Meta plans to release a new smart glasses model this fall with a monocular display, similar to Google’s prototype.
Xreal's Project Aura
Xreal, a Chinese tech company, has introduced Project Aura, new display glasses that run on Android XR and are powered by a Qualcomm chip. Currently, there is limited information and a few images available, but more details are expected at the Augmented World Expo in June. Project Aura is the second hardware product to use Android XR after Project Moohan.
Google and its competitors are pushing the limits of smart wearable technology, which is setting the stage for a future where the digital and physical worlds come together.