In a much-awaited innovation of sorts, tech major Google has started work on its augmented reality (AR) smart glasses. As per reports Google is “nurturing a new project” under which it is “working on a new iteration of smart glasses.”
The report claims that the latest project was the result of the acquisition of North – a pioneer in human-computer interfaces and smart glasses. The acquisition was made in 2020. No details of the project are known yet. It may be too early to say if Google plans to release a stopgap headset or whether it's entirely focused on the smart glasses form factor.
Worth mentioning that when Google acquired North last year, the Canadian company stopped selling Focals 1.0 and decided to cancel Focals 2.0. Several lead and engineers previously working with North are now part of the Devices & Services division at Google that's responsible for Pixel, Nest, and other hardware.
This organisational shift makes sense ahead of a consumer product. Also, the team building an Augmented Reality OS is also placed under Devices & Services.
Not only Google, but other tech majors are also working on mixed reality hardware. Apple, for one, has been working on its mixed reality headset for a long time now. It is rumoured that the Cupertino-based company is planning to introduce the device by next year.
The mixed reality headset, rumours say, can be used for AR development in addition to virtual reality, through the use of a pass-through camera where users can view the real world through a video feed rather than directly. Meta is also working on a similar project named Project Cambria for 2022.
