Google Contact Lenses Project No Connection With Glass ?
Even though Glass hasn’t yet been released for the large public, the search giant has announced past Thursday that they are already working on a new wearable smart device, smaller and less intrusive than Glass: smart contact lenses. Most people who didn’t get to test Google’s Glass tent to object it, one of their main reasons to disqualify it being about its physical appearance and the privacy policies it might break when used. However, we are sure that in the near future people will turn their attention towards these types of devices, because after all they do offer a lot of new opportunities. Not to mention that thanks to its voice controls it allows you to use your hands in the same time you’re searching something online (with a regular smartphone this is hardly possible). On the other hand, there are a lot of enthusiasts who can’t wait to get their hands on such a device and optimize their work, social skills and so on. So, while trying to prove its Glass clients that the device’s potential exceeds its weird looks, Google has begun working on a new project, the smart lenses – which are supposed to be semi-computerized. Google came up with the smart lenses idea after hearing a lot about diabetic problems every one seems to deal with from a certain age. The lenses have miniature sensors and chips integrated in between the two soft layers of material, which are able to monitor glucose levels by analyzing tears. However, the project is still waiting approval from the FDA in order to be continued.
No one could question their appearance now, since the lenses look almost like regular transparent lenses, with some small glitter-like dots (the chips and sensors), which can be barely seen. However, don’t get your hopes up yet because Google announced that the lenses won’t have anything to do with Glass and their main purpose is medical monitoring. This information was offered by Brian Otis (also the lead researcher in the project) to Re/code and was keen to differentiate the two Google moonshot projects, mentioning that the two are completely different. But if they don’t have much in common now, it doesn’t mean that they won’t have anything in common in the future. Our opinion is that by creating the smart lenses, even for a soul reason, Google has opened up a new path for futuristic technology. We know that they’re not admitting to it, but at some point Glass and the smart lenses will cross their ways especially when one of the smart lenses advisers is Babak Parviz, who leads the Glass project and is an old colleague of Brian Otis