Google will once again test augmented reality glasses in public

In a post on Tuesday, the company said that it will be testing augmented reality prototypes in public settings.

Some of the prototypes will look similar to normal glasses with microphones and cameras.

The new glasses aren't a product yet and aren't available to the public.

Many in Silicon Valley believe that augmented reality could be a major shift in computing like the PC before it. Virtual reality immerses the viewer in an artificial world while augmented reality superimposes images over the real world.

By announcing plans to test in public, Google is trying to get ahead of the kind of privacy concerns that led to the downfall of the first augmented reality device.

Critics were concerned about people being recorded without their permission because of the front-facing camera on the device. A woman who wore glasses said she was attacked at a San Francisco bar. The glasses were put to use to focus on business customers.

"We want to get this right, so we're taking it slow, with a strong focus on ensuring the privacy of the tester and those around them."

According to a support page about the testing, the research prototypes look like normal glasses and have audio and visual sensors.

The device has a light that turns on when the glasses are being used. The glasses will not record video or take photographs for users to store and view later, but they may capture and use image data to perform functions. The glasses won't be worn in schools, government buildings, healthcare locations, churches, protests, or other sensitive areas. The testing will be done by a few dozen people and will take place in the US.

At its developers conference in May, the company showed off its augmented reality glasses that translate speech in real time so that a person can see a foreign language in front of them. The glasses were called "subtitles for the world" by one of the employees.

Apple, Meta, and Microsoft are competing with each other to build the first next- generation augmented reality glasses. Current products have yet to catch on despite billions invested in augmented reality software and hardware, hoping for a breakthrough that could enable a new computing platform.

Without the technology getting in the way, the magic will come alive.

According to a report, Apple is about to announce a mixed headset. An advanced mixed reality headset will be released later this year. The most advanced augmented reality hardware on the market is from Microsoft.