

Google patents its augmented reality Project Glass - alexchamberlain
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18091697

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AkThhhpppt
...How? I mean, there's prior art all over: Steve Mann
(<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Mann>) has been doing this kind of thing
since the '80s!

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nooneelse
Their specific design and perhaps some of their technologies might be
patentable.

But yeah, lots of prior art on the ideas and even some implementations exist.
Another source for what was/is obvious to those of ordinary skill this art
would be the Wear-Hard Archives (<http://www.haven.org/mailman/listinfo/wear-
hard>). I miss the days when that list was more active.

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AkThhhpppt
Even their specific design is pretty close to some old Mann hardware
([http://www.glogger.mobi/userpub2.php?username=mann&i=201...](http://www.glogger.mobi/userpub2.php?username=mann&i=2012_04_16_15_51_36_06246800),
which I've linked to...well, it's "below" currently).

Never knew about that list; time for an archive trawl, I think. Thanks!

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nooneelse
Similar to a degree, but I can't tell from Google's publicly shown designs if
they are even going for the eye-tap paradigm. So far the camera and display
are spatially separated and one has to look up from a scene to see the
display.

Though I suppose they may be thinking that common use-cases will involve
rotating one's head down a bit while maintaining one's line of sight, similar
to "looking over one's glasses", which would bring their screen between the
user's eye and what one is looking at.

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patentnerd
The article has no links, but I'm assuming they're referring to the patents
linked in this article:

[http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/15/google-glasses-design-
pat...](http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/15/google-glasses-design-patent/)

These are design patents, meaning they protect the look of the glasses, NOT
any of the functionality.

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AkThhhpppt
Even then:
[http://www.glogger.mobi/userpub2.php?username=mann&i=201...](http://www.glogger.mobi/userpub2.php?username=mann&i=2012_04_16_15_51_36_06246800)

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AVTizzle
Still think this project needs to be rebranded "Googley-Eyes".

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iharris
The potential applications of this technology are pretty awesome - I just hope
that we don't see Google ads superimposed on every blank surface we look at.

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nooneelse
Why would they put them over blank surfaces? They could put their ads over
billboards and other ad surfaces that are already around you? That way you
like them for not increasing the net number of ads you see, and they get to
act as gate-keepers for all other ad forms.

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slowpoke
I've actually been waiting for such a functionality for ages - except I would
use it to adblock everything, even in real life.

No more pesky ad noise == quality of life significantly improved.

~~~
AkThhhpppt
Yet again, Steve Mann was there first:
<http://cyborganthropology.com/Diminished_Reality>

Sorry for the monomania, but the man really did pioneer a huge chunk of
wearable computing and AR.

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slowpoke
That is nice. Time to read up a bit about this man. Thank you.

