Google AI: Smart Glasses Almost Ready

At the Google I/O developer conference, Google unveiled its artificial intelligence glasses, offering an experience that combines audio and visual display. These glasses, first announced at last year's event, are designed to overlay useful information directly in the user's field of vision. They include widgets for weather, walking directions, Uber pickup details, live translations, and even custom widgets created via AI.

The glasses are compatible with both iOS and Android phones and represent an advancement over the first generation of audio glasses expected this fall. Developed in partnership with Warby Parker, Gentle Monster, and Samsung, they blend Google's technology with the aesthetics of these brands. The prototype tested was still in development, although advanced enough to be showcased outdoors. Google representatives explained that this prototype allowed them to focus on experimenting with display technology and its impact on battery life, without worrying about cosmetic details related to different styles and shapes. This means that these glasses are very different from any future version that will be marketed, in terms of fit, shape, dimensions, and attention to detail.

A Prototype in Development

The tested model remains a prototype, designed to experiment with display technology and its impact on battery life, without concern for cosmetic details. The commercial version is expected to include additional features like wear detection. The prototype had a single display on the right eye, but the platform can support both single and dual displays, as well as audio-only glasses. The image itself was a bit blurry, but we attributed this to our corrective contact lenses, involving wearing a distance-optimized lens on one side and a near-vision-optimized lens on the other. When we closed one eye, the image became sharper, but the experience almost immediately left us with some eye strain above the right eye, and it is unclear if the prescription was entirely responsible.

To activate the Gemini assistant, a simple two-second press on the right side of the glasses frame is sufficient. A startup sound indicates that Gemini is activated and listening. In the demo version, starting Gemini also activates the camera at the same time, but the commercial version will allow users to configure whether they want the camera to activate when Gemini starts.

In an initial test, we asked Gemini to play a favorite artist. Unfortunately, the venue was too noisy to assess sound quality, as the music was turned up to maximum and remained relatively difficult to hear clearly and in detail. However, the first impression of this limited experience was that the glasses would not be an excellent substitute for higher-quality headphones, although they would suffice if you simply wanted to listen to music outdoors, while walking, hiking, or doing household chores. The advantage of not having headphones is that you can more easily hear someone speaking, compared to transparency mode experiences on devices like Apple’s AirPods.

To stop the music, simply tap once on the side of the frame, around the middle, as if you were tapping your temple.

Promising Features

The glasses allow users to take photos and perform AI manipulations, such as transforming an image into anime style. During the demonstration, the response time for this manipulation took about 45 seconds, due to the heavily utilized Wi-Fi at the event. The demonstration also highlighted the real-time translation capability, with a demonstrator speaking in Spanish, the text displayed in English, and Gemini speaking English in our ear. Translate will also work on audio-only glasses, but without the text being displayed on the glasses. Instead, you could see the transcription on your phone, if needed, in addition to real-time audio feedback.

In terms of navigation, the glasses use Google Maps to provide step-by-step directions. Although the test was limited to indoors, the experience seems promising for use on the go. You can start the Google Maps experience by asking Gemini to navigate to a destination — which can even be as vague as "the nearest café." Gemini will activate Google Maps on the phone, and after a brief delay while the experience loads, the glasses will display step-by-step directions. When you look ahead, information about your next turn will be displayed. But if you need to orient yourself in space, look down to see your blue dot on a map. You can also turn left and right to orient yourself in space, just as you would try to orient the blue dot in the right direction on your phone.

Towards a Commercial Version

The glasses initially struggled to identify a replica of a Monet painting on a shelf in front of us, but that was because the prototype did not automatically activate the camera — it had to be reactivated from the app. Still, it took a few questions before Gemini said it looked like a Monet, even after we moved closer to focus on Monet's signature in the bottom left. Other tests went more smoothly, with the glasses immediately identifying the plant on the shelf and answering questions about different recipes in a book. However, these actions are things you could do today with Google Lens (or other AI models integrated into chatbot applications), although we assume it is interesting to be able to do so without having to pull out your phone.

Google plans to expand its tester program to refine these glasses before their commercial launch. In the meantime, the audio-only version could meet the needs of some users, despite competition from Meta and Snap in the connected glasses space. The audio glasses also provide access to the Gemini AI, allowing for varied interactions such as listening to music, taking photos, and managing phone applications. Accessing other third-party applications was not among the items we demonstrated, but the glasses will allow users to tell Gemini to do things like "take the ingredients from this recipe and add them to my shopping list."

In another example that Google showcased during the event's keynote, the glasses could see a dish that the wearer was cooking on the stove and offer feedback on the dish, such as whether the meat was cooked properly. Google stated that it would have more information to share about its Android XR display glasses later this year when it expands its trusted tester program.