CBR presents another five real-life examples of Google Glass in action, starting with the most recently announced one.
1. Sentiment Analysis
Photo credit: Emotient
Emotient, a San Diego-based company, is working on a Google Glass app that can tell users what other people are feeling based on their facial expressions.
The Sentiment Analysis protoype app detects and processes facial expressions of individuals and groups that the user would see to determine positive, negative or neutral emotions.
The software can also measure deeper emotions such as joy, surprise and anger, and tell if you’re feeling confused or frustrated, according to the company.
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The firm, which was founded by a team of six PhD students from the University of California, said the technology will be useful for retailers looking to improve customer service and workers who might have difficulty picking up emotional cues.
The app does not store video and images, and Emotient said that any analysis done would be done anonymously.
The app is currently available on Glass for Beta testers and the makers hope it can be officially available to Google Glass users as well.
2. Augmented Reality
Photo credit: Blippar
Blippar, a UK-based augmented reality (AR) startup, has released what it claims to be the first image-recognition app for Google Glass.
The technology, which was announced at Mobile World Congress 2014, is an extension of what the company is already doing with its mobile app for iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry devices.
The AR and tracking app scans brand logos or the ‘Blipp’ symbol on products, images and even people, which unlocks more information or extra features that would appear on their screens.
Blipped images have already been printed on cans of Pepsi in the US to play promoted videos, while the service was recently used to turn the front of London-based Shortlist magazine into a playable game on mobiles.
The app comes not too long after a report by Juniper Research predicted that AR users worldwide will increase from 60 million to 200 million over the next five years.
3. Wink to take photos
As part of a software update in December 2013, Google introduced a feature that allows wearers to take photos by winking.
The winking feauture, which was previously available to Google Glass explorers via an app called Winky, registers the movement of the eye to take the shot.
As Google explained in a blog post, the iOS app could one day be used to pay for goods and services.
"You wink at a pair of shoes in a shop window and your size is shipped to your door. You wink at a cookbook recipe and the instructions appear right in front of you – hands-free, no mess, no fuss," it explained.
Other features include a new lock screen that prevents other people from accessing the device without permission, receiving Hangout messages, and uploading and sharing videos on YouTube.
4. Fashion
Photo credit: Devin_Pavel, Shutterstock
Glashion, a fashion startup, has released a Google Glass app, which it hopes will allow glass wearers to buy clothes or accessories that they spot on the go.
Introduced in September 2013, users download the app to their Glass and then take a photo of any fashion items that they come across in a shop.
The app then shows similar product results via ShopStyle API, and you either tap to buy the product or swipe to see more matching products.
The firm, founded by AngelHack NYC, Billy Mauro and Felipe Servin, said the app could bridge online and offline shopping behaviours, and avoid the awkwardness of taking a photo with a phone.
5. Fitness
Photo credit: Yoann Morin, Shutterstock
If you’re looking to get beach-ready for any holidays coming your way, the latest app from Race Yourself could make the job a lot more fun.
The startup has developed a fitness app for Glass that transforms exercise into a reality game, allowing users to race against themselves and beat personal-fitness records.
The app, which keeps track of pace and calories burnt, provides access to more than 30 games such as ‘Zombies, Run’ and ‘Speck’ and a virtual Tour de France game.
"As well as making exercise more interesting, we wanted to incorporate the addictive and social elements from gaming. That’s why we reward users with unlockable games for completing workouts," said co-founder Alex Foster in a statement.
Although the app won’t be available until Google Glass is launched, the app is available for pre-order from the company’s website.
