Alphabet Holding introduced a new version of Google Glass video glasses

A few years ago, everyone just said that about the video glasses (or rather, it would be more correct to call this gadget a head-mounted minicomputer) from Google. Yes, we are talking about Google Glass , a project that Google has unexpectedly closed, despite its prospects and popularity among geeks and ordinary people. For a while, the company promised to release an updated version created from scratch, but the promises seemed to have sunk into oblivion along with the glasses themselves.



Recently it turned out that no one really closed the project, and the glasses, the second version of them, were developed by the company’s employees secretly for two years. At the same time, preliminary versions of the system were tested not only in Google. Google Glass has also been field tested in companies like GE, Boeing, DHL and Volkswagen. And this is not about a couple of days, weeks, or even months. The tests have been conducted over the past two years, the same amount as the development has been conducted. The fact that during this time there was no information leakage testifies to the corporation’s ability to keep secrets if it is really necessary (without incidents with “forgotten” in cafes, taxis and shops with gadgets).



The glasses themselves are not created for ordinary users, but for employees of various industrial enterprises. In general, Google was talking about this before when they planned to cancel the release of the user version. The model is called Glass Enterprise Edition, and the name speaks for itself here.



One of the Wired journalists, who saw the Enterprise Edition at one of the enterprises that manufactures tractors, managed to look at the glasses and try them out in the work, among other lucky ones. After studying the points themselves and contacting Google employees, it turned out that the development was led by division X, which in general often deals with secret projects that look like hello from the future. Points, their second version, was designed and implemented by a relatively small team in the gland. Above the first model worked much more Google employees.



It is reported that in two years, Glass EE have been able to test employees of more than 10 different companies. In this case, the difference between the first and second models of points can be seen in the photo below.







Why all this? The fact is that the "specialization" of the device is not as a consumer device, but it really makes sense to work as a tool. Points help industrial workers perform their task more efficiently. When the shift ends, the points are left in the enterprise.



Analysts have long predicted that in the future, such gadgets will be actively used in enterprises of all types. According to a Forrester Research report , by 2025, more than 14.4 million employees of US enterprises will wear smart glasses. This is not at all a fad, albeit a technological one, but an attempt to work more efficiently using the achievements of science and technology. As far as can be judged, Google is not going to stop there, it intends to release Google Glass EE. In this case, glasses for ordinary consumers are not talking.



If desired, the smart part of the gadget can be disconnected from its base, and transferred to the rim of industrial glasses that meet all safety standards. In addition, Google Glass EE can be worn even by those users whose vision leaves much to be desired - the system can be put on the rim of ordinary glasses. The frame is lightened (although it has never been particularly hard).



Among other improvements - the completion of Wi-Fi, which now works without problems, more productive electronic stuffing, longer battery life. In addition, when recording video on glasses, a green LED lights up, which was not there before. “This model looks very similar to the original Google Glass, but every element has been improved here,” said a Upskill spokesman, who managed to test glasses in action. "They saw how we use glasses (talking about Google Glass developers - approx. Ed.) And decided to rethink everything - the process of charging, folding, water resistance, WiFi."



As for the enterprise for the production of tractors and other equipment, which was discussed above, it does not plan to abandon Google Glass. Now company employees do not waste a minute getting information about upcoming tasks with the help of smart glasses. Their working day is divided into cycles. The duration of one cycle is 70 minutes, each cycle, in turn, is divided into steps with a duration of three to five minutes. When an employee begins to perform any task, he receives additional information with his glasses, which helps not to lose time. As soon as the step is completed, an employee of the enterprise says: “Okay, Glass, preceed”, and the implementation of a new step begins.



Points suggest what kind of inventory is needed during the work, what parts are optimal for completing each cycle. If something looks broken, or the situation develops in the wrong way, you can take a photo or request help with a voice command. Interestingly, initially experienced employees of the company believed that glasses could do nothing to help them, because they know their job like the back of their fingers. But after a while, skepticism went away, and joyful surprise appeared in its place, because the glasses were really able to help the workers to carry out their tasks, if not perfect, then close to it.



The effectiveness of glasses visible to the naked eye. Sometimes the employees of the machine-building enterprise in question get into other departments and divisions of their company, where work is done, similar to what they themselves are doing. And those people who have used smart glasses with their clues sometimes find it difficult to resist not to ask their colleagues to work faster - the new method is so effective.



The cost of the corporate version of points is $ 1300-1500, but they continue to be ordered, because they bring only benefit. At the moment, the company in question has bought several hundred points, and plans to acquire about a thousand more. To get used to this unusual gadget, trainings help - they are carried out at the very beginning, for beginners, plus similar work is carried out some time later. It’s interesting to say in the mouths of management why employees need such glasses: “We don’t replace human employees with robots who can do better jobs than people - instead, we help people work more efficiently”.





And indeed, this accessory helps people work better. This is evidenced by the data of quite a serious study, which has been worked on for several months. We agree with the results of the study and representatives of companies that have already experienced Google's augmented reality glasses. For example, GE says that the time spent by employees on certain tasks has decreased by 46%, so that all work has accelerated significantly.



Testing points and in DHL. This transport company announced that it plans to immediately purchase 2,000 devices that will be available to the busiest employees. Not only the management, but also ordinary employees of the companies where video glasses are used, tell about successes. For example, GE’s ordinary employees say that they donned Google Glass and made less mistakes.



And of course, Google Glass EE can be useful not only for management and employees of industrial enterprises. These video glasses can be extremely useful in other branches of science, technology and medicine. A doctor, for example, would not be superfluous to look at the mini-projector for signs of a particular disease during diagnostic work, or to clarify the dose of the medicine prescribed to the patient.



In the medical company Dignity Health also had time to test glasses. The management says that now employees do not spend 33% of their working time for clarifying any data, but only 10%.



By the way, not so long ago, Google Glass was criticized for finally making the community plunge into virtual reality and forget about the real world. But now the same people who scolded the first version of the glasses, praise the second. In fact, in the workplace, this device is very handy, it can be used with great benefit for business. There are a lot of professions and areas where you can use augmented reality glasses. And now Google Glass is just starting to show itself, over time, many can go to them. “Google Glass in the company is not a toy at all. This is a tool that improves our capabilities and allows us to perform our professional duties better, ”says one tester of glasses.



The fact that the Google Glass project will soon be restarted was reported about two years ago. Then it was said that the developers who are taking part in the creation of a new generation of glasses are going to take up this work more seriously, and their main goal is to “make the concept a reality.”