The story of Google and augmented reality has its ups and downs. The company has undertaken several projects with this technology in the last decade with mixed results. Perhaps most remembered is the introduction of the Google Glass prototype in 2012, although the device never took off as expected. Glasses were a constant source of controversy; not only because of its unattractive design and high price, but especially because of concerns about user privacy. And not to mention the controversies around regulation (or lack thereof) for use in certain situations, such as when driving. Over the years the expectation around these devices waned, despite having shown some interesting developments. However, Californians seem not to have given up in this area .
As published by 9to5Google, Google is working on the development of a “new augmented reality operating system” . It will be used for an “innovative augmented reality device” of which nothing is known at the moment, of course. The novelty was known through the most recent job searches of the American company, and was ratified with the rehiring of Mark Lucovsky , who had previously worked at Google, and has returned to lead the team in charge of AR software. Not least data is that prior to his return to Mountain View, he was in charge of a similar area on Facebook (Meta); more specifically on Oculus.
The new positions open to work in Google's augmented reality team are aimed at software developers and engineers; and the specific tasks aim to create the necessary programs to interact with cameras, manage interactions in real time and integrate machine learning .
Google intends to develop an “innovative augmented reality device”
“Google's Augmented Reality team is a group of engineers, designers, and research scientists charged with laying the foundation for excellent immersive computing and prototyping enjoyable and useful user experiences. We are focused on making computing immersive. be accessible to many people via mobile devices, as our reach continues to grow and evolve, “says one of the job descriptions posted by the company.
As in many of these cases, since they are projects that require a lot of development and prototypes, the public terminology is quite vague. It is a certainty that Google is working on a new operating system for augmented reality devices; but today it is impossible to know when it will be available and what its implementation will be .
With companies like Apple and Xiaomi developing AR helmets or glasses, it stands to reason that Google will pursue a similar goal with its future wearable. Even more so when you already have an important experience from the hand of Google Glass; that although it did not have the massive results that were expected, it has given them the advantage of interacting with technologies of this type much earlier than their competitors .
The Google team to create the augmented reality operating system depends on the Devices and Services section. We're talking about the same area that encompasses the company's other hardware efforts , such as Nest devices and Pixel smartphones. Whatever the company's progress in this area, it is unlikely that we will see the fruits of this new development in the short term.
