Alphabet shows successor to Google Glass glasses for use in the workshop

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Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has presented the Glass Enterprise Edition. This is a further development of the Google Glass, which became available to consumers in 2013. The new augmented reality glasses are intended for business use in factories and workshops.

The main changes compared to the original Google Glass are a better camera with a resolution of eight instead of five megapixels, a longer battery life, a faster Wi-Fi connection, a faster processor and a red light that turns on when a video is played. included. In addition, the electronics of the new glasses are incorporated in a modular attachment. This so-called Glass Pod can be taken off and mounted on any frame, such as on safety glasses.

The Glass Enterprise Edition shows employees how-to videos, animations and graphics on the right side of their field of view. As a result, users do not have to stop working the moment they consult information through the glasses. The research company X, which originated as Google X and is a subsidiary of Alphabet, has announced that the glasses are in use in workshops at, among others, General Electric, Boeing, DHL and Volkswagen. The glasses are now widely available and cost between $1300 and $1500. Companies can sign up if they want to use the tool. Customized software from different partners can be used, so that the glasses are suitable for all types of workplaces and activities. For example, employees of General Electric are already using the glasses. They state that the use of the augmented reality glasses has ensured that fewer mistakes have been made when assembling and transferring motors. According to X, the production time of the machines of the American agricultural company AGCO has been reduced by about 25 percent, for example because employees no longer have to walk back and forth to view checklists and manuals. At DHL, employees receive real-time visual instructions on where to place products on carts through the glasses. The glasses also appear to work well in the medical sector; Doctors need to spend less time on patient administration because of the glasses and specially tailored software. Doctors no longer need to take notes during patient conversations.

In April 2014, Google started developing the Enterprise Edition glasses, which were already being tested by Boeing and reportedly very well received. An earlier so-called Explorer Edition was already tested in 2013. Google decided to work on a version of Glass that would be completely separate from the earlier consumer version. In January 2015, the improved Enterprise Edition was sent to some companies on the condition that they would not say anything about the existence and use of the glasses. The glasses have therefore been in use for more than two years at various companies; several hundred copies of the Enterprise Edition have been sold.

Astro Teller, who leads Alphabet’s X division, says the project has gone off the rails when it comes to consumer applications. Google Glass was an experimental product that the search giant sold a limited edition to consumers several years ago. These glasses have a built-in speaker and projector. This allows the Glass to show a small image with, among other things, notifications or directions for navigation. Google received a lot of criticism; there would be too many privacy and security concerns with the glasses. In early 2015, Google announced that it would stop producing augmented reality glasses for consumers. The technology has been further developed for the Glass Enterprise Edition.

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