Google Wants to Test Augmented Reality Glasses in Public—What Could Go Wrong?

The Glassholes are going to come back.

A prototype augmented reality glasses is about to be tested in public. Despite a backlash against the first consumer smartglasses debacle, the company is pushing for public testing.

Public testing will allow us to better understand how these devices can help people in their everyday lives because lab environments were too restrictive. This real-world testing could be used to account for things like weather and traffic. Anyone will be able to get these glasses. In order to assure the privacy of the testers and those around them, the prototypes will be tested with a group of trusted testers.

The first wave of test glasses won't support photography or video. The glasses will be able to translate a restaurant menu in a foreign language using its augmented reality capabilities. According to the company's support page, it will usually destroy the data but admits it can be used for analysis. Any saved data will be scrubbed for sensitive information.

Similar to Meta's Ray Ban Stories released last year, the prototypes are intended to be less dweeby. A new pair of augmented reality glasses that translate language in real-time was teased at the event. According to recent reports, the first augmented reality glasses will be shipped by the year 2024.

The first attempt at public-wearing face Wearable tech was a failure. The nickname "Glassholes" was given to the owners of the device over concerns that they were recording people without their permission. You looked dumb as a result. The Glassholes struck a nerve, with users reporting being attacked and having their glasses ripped off by angry bystanders.

At the time, the general public was skeptical of the implications of Glass. Major privacy concerns over the glasses were voiced by 85% of US adults in a survey. Movie theaters, restaurants, and bars banned the glasses from their establishments.

Public attitudes toward walking recording machines are expected to change in the year 2022. There isn't a lot of hard data on the public's feelings towards smart glasses and augmented reality headsets, but the general trend has favored less privacy, not more. The success of Meta's Ray Ban Stories smartglasses suggests that the tide may be turning for public Wearables. The $300 Go-Pros are not necessarily flying off shelves, but they have achieved some market viability.

Meta says it conducted an internal analysis prior to the glasses' release to assess the potential human rights risks they posed and acted on some of the recommendations. Without the help of privacy advocates, the faint white light on those glasses would not have been necessary. Meta's Ray Ban Stories don't currently feature true augmented reality capabilities, but they are moving in that direction with future models

There is an open question as to whether or not the damage done by the Glass era can be mitigated. We will be the first to let you know if someone wearing one of these new prototypes gets hit in the face.