Google's interest in augmented reality glasses is not new. The Mountain View company has already had an experience with Google Glass that over the years has proven to be really traumatic. However, he does not give up on his intentions and works fully on a project called Project Iris that, although it would only arrive in a few years, would have revolutionary overtones.
According to a report by The Verge, which cites two people familiar with the project but who for logical reasons have remained anonymous, the company's goal is to launch the product in 2024. But it is also mentioned that there is still much development to be done and that this date would be far from being definitive.
According to sources, Google's new augmented reality glasses have already been prototyped and would look like ski goggles , at least in their current form. Certainly, the aesthetic could change and be refined over time, so that today it is impossible to predict what they will look like when they reach the public.
As far as technical specifications are concerned, Project Iris would use a processor developed by Google; It is not mentioned if it is based on the Tensor chip of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, although it would not be illogical. After all, the report mentions that the augmented reality glasses use Android as the operating system, at least for now; and ensures that some members of the current Pixel team are collaborating in the development of the hardware.
The device would use cameras to capture real-world images and mix them with computer-generated graphics, according to the people involved. And since the autonomy of the internal battery is one of the many challenges to be addressed, the developers' idea would be to use Google's data centers to render some of those graphics and transmit them to the glasses through the internet.
Gafas Google.
Google's augmented reality glasses are shrouded in secrecy
Google's efforts to return to the development of augmented reality glasses had already been exposed at the end of last year. In December we told you that the company's most recent job searches were related to the development of a new operating system for this purpose. It was even mentioned as an objective “to create an innovative augmented reality device”.
But beyond what little has been said in public, everything indicates that in Mountain View they prefer to keep their progress under lock and key. The development of Project Iris would be taking place in a restricted access facility and with a small number of people involved. The core of the team would be made up of no more than 300 people (which for a company like Google is little), but the intention would be to expand it.
Currently it would be Clay Bavor, a Google executive dedicated to everything related to augmented reality and virtual reality, who would direct the glasses project. Moreover, I would report directly to Sundar Pichai, the company's CEO, to prevent key information from coming to light.
If the data revealed is accurate, Google is fully involved in a race in which Meta and Apple are also participating. We'll see which company packs the punch and, most importantly, which attracts enough of a crowd to make augmented reality an everyday thing.
