Benefits of virtual reality

There has been a lot of discussion around Google glasses lately. One of the articles making a good overview is here. Google has stopped selling the glasses, but continues development. In general, the idea of data classes remains very fascinating.

Data glasses will enable many interesting applications in industry. Think that you will see the real actual situation and on top of that some other information in the same view. It is possible to see a lot of relevant information without a need to use your both hands to take your smartphone and find the info from the net  or carry some papers with you. For example a farmer could see cultivation plan when planting the seedlings. With GPS it would be possible to get straight lines. A technician installing a paper machine will be able to see what is the next step and how to correctly install the next part. The technician will not need to carry papers and he can use his both hands all the time for the real work. It will be easy to think many other use cases and I am sure that augmented reality and data glasses will be used in industry. Also the ethical questions will be much easier than in consumer use cases.

Google glasses are well known globally but there are a lot of other companies and projects working with data glasses and augmented reality.  Augumenta  is start-up company developing a clever idea to control wearables with gestures. Their solution can also be used to increase privacy: you can key in the pin code of you phone so that only you see the touchscreen keys you are touching. In Marin2 project Technology Research Center in University of Turku and industry partners will be developing augmented reality solutions for wider industry use after completing Marin project than concentrated in marine industry. VTT started a project about augmented assembly already in 2006.

Low cost virtual reality glasses available for everyone and with high quality cameras and computer will certainly cause some ethical discussion. Will it be acceptable to use the glasses in public places and be able to take pictures or record video all the time? What if someone uses face-recognition and search engine while walking in the streets and will be able to know the names and ages of the people he will see in the street? Connected data glasses with good camera will enable new applications that are not possible with cameras that only record video. It remains to be seen what will be accepted in public places. Certainly it will take time before people will realize what will be possible and it will be even more time to agree related legislation and ethics. I remember from school that in the very early days of railroad business some people in England where thinking that it has to be unhealthy for cows to look a train passing by with high speed (30km/h). Nowadays people concerned about well-being of animals often prefer travelling by trains.

History is one of the most interesting fields when developing consumer applications using augmented reality like demonstrated here.