I don’t know if you saw the Hulu and Channel 4 TV series The First, about the team of astronauts who were going to be the first humans on Mars. In that, they used special glasses to watch videos and make video calls.
I mentioned in a previous post that I have been reading the book A Brief History of the Future. One of the early developments suggested in there is augmented reality glasses. This is what it says:
2037
In the 2010s experiments had been made with augmented reality glasses. However the project failed because the processing power was too low, connection speeds were too slow and an adequate control system had yet to be developed. In 2037 the focus controlled swirling disk was developed which allowed wearers to focus on something and to trigger additional resources by selecting from the options Identify, Clarify, Qualify, Simplify, Magnify and Verify, all by focus alone.
The new AR glasses meant people could give up phones, pads, computers and televisions as the glasses could replace them all. The big advantages for users was that they knew more about how to find hidden resources, could use speech recognition and would never need a keyboard or keypad again.
So when I watched The First it was interesting to actually see the glasses in use, albeit in a science fiction context. I researched it, and was surprised to see they already exist. You can find an article on Wikipedia all about what augmented reality glasses are.
Tom’s Guide says:
There has been a steady buzz about the virtues of virtual reality, but augmented reality is on the cusp of truly breaking out. Most people have been introduced to the technology via popular smartphone games like Pokemon Go or Snapchat’s suite of filters. And with Apple and Google launching their own smartphone-driven AR platforms, ARKit and ARCore, the AR wave shows no signs of dissipating.
But augmented reality is more than catching make-believe creatures and making yourself look like a cute puppy via a smartphone. Microsoft, Google Vuzix and others have been working to bring AR to us in eyeglass form.
There are glasses that give you full-color “apps” that you can check at a glance and helmets that deliver directions in real time as you ride around on your bike or motorcycle. There are also AR headsets that create holograms with a level of interactivity that seems straight out of a science fiction fever.
Wareable says:
Smartglasses are getting smarter and augmented reality specs are finally approaching prime time – and plenty of startups are getting into the space.
It’s not just about slapping a camera on your face, either. AR, fitness tracking and mixed reality are all powering the next generation of smart eyewear.
Both sites then review all the latest products. Mind you, the prices are eye-watering!
Ann Marie Thomas is the author of four medieval history books, a surprisingly cheerful poetry collection about her 2010 stroke, and the science fiction series Flight of the Kestrel. Book one, Intruders, and book two Alien Secrets, are out now. Follow her at http://eepurl.com/bbOsyz