Google Glass finds space in industry

Technicians in aerospace, warehousing and even training, often need both hands free while they reference printed materials or communicate with others.

And that’s where Google’s augmented reality glasses (equipped with custom software) are finding a niche in industry, according to Computer World.

DHL warehouse
It’s easy to see how augmented reality works in a warehouse at Deutsche Post DHL, for example. A DHL video demonstrates how manual item pickers move a trolley through an enormous warehouse to find an exact item. Then they check their papers, pick up an item, scan it with a scanning gun, and load it onto the trolley. With customized Google Glass, the same pickers move the trolley, while accessing their lists on screens on their glasses. When they find the item, they scan it using the glasses. Thus, they eliminate paper and the scanning gun, saving time and error.

Boeing technology
According to Boeing, technicians who perform detailed work with their hands often need to refer to complex documentation. What if instead of getting the book and searching for the right page, they could leave their hands in place and just glance up to a screen floating in their glasses? That is the vision that Boeing is building.

Industry adoption of customized Google Glass is expected to increase, according to software maker Plataine. The glasses will increasingly aid production and warehouses with identifying objects, finding and solving problems during production, and getting help in real time.

Consumer delays
Google first tried marketing the glasses to consumers but stopped that effort in 2017. Studies showed consumers mainly used Glass for taking pictures, an activity that doesn’t really need another gadget.

That doesn’t mean there will never be a consumer space for augmented reality glass, according to Computer World. Apple has taken out patents on aspects of their own famous research on glasses.

Facebook reality labs have also been working on augmented reality glasses for years.

But, according to Computer World, these efforts won’t bear real consumer fruit for perhaps a decade.