This time next year, we might all be wearing computers
on our heads. Already a hit with early adopters, the much-hyped Google
Glass headset will be released to the public in 2014. And in response to
feedback from those testers, it is likely to boast a few extra
features.
For starters, developers are keen to
incorporate eye-tracking so that the device can overlay information on
top of objects or areas that the wearer is gazing at. That could boost
the headset's ability to deliver ultra-personal, targeted advertising.
Glass could also get tricked out with gesture recognition, which would allow users to control it just by waving their hands.
The Explorer program to test early
versions of Glass has already given rise to a slew of potentially
game-changing applications. For example, it has allowed surgeons to transmit their view of an operation to medical students elsewhere, and helped people watch what they eat – literally – as a way of managing diabetes.
Critics say the headset's camera will
destroy privacy, and its distracting screen could ruin social
interaction. But if Glass and several competing products launch next
year as expected, millions of people could become hooked. That's bound
to change the way we look at the world.
This article appeared in print under the headline "Through the looking glass"