Google Glass could one day
let you control objects around you
A
Google patent filing published today describes a way for Google Glass wearers
to actually control certain objects nearby.
March 21,
2013 9:48 AM PDTo
You
may eventually be able to operate your TV, refrigerator, or garage door through
Google Glass.
Published
today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a Google patent application
called "Wearable Computer with Superimposed Controls and Instructions for
External Device" describes a technology in which a Google Glass wearer
could control a real object via a virtual display.
Beyond
merely showing you details about an object, Google Glass would present a
virtual control panel to let you interact with that object.
As
described in the patent, you could "control the target device, provide
input to the target device, receive instructions for operating the target
device, receive status information regarding the target device, and/or receive
other information related to the target device."
Some
of the target devices cited in the patent include a refrigerator, espresso
maker, TV, garage door, alarm system, lighting system, and a copy machine.
Touching a virtual button on Google Glass' control panel would then send the
corresponding instruction to the device, as the patent describes:
As one example, a virtual control interface for
controlling a refrigerator (such as adjusting a temperature set-point) may be
superimposed upon the refrigerator surface. In order to control the target
device, the wearer may attempt to touch the virtual control interface at the
apparent distance of the virtual control interface. For example, the wearer may
touch a location on the refrigerator where a virtual button in the virtual
control interface appears. The wearable computing device may recognize this
touching motion as a control instruction and transmit the control instruction
to the target device.
The
technology could even kick in automatically with items like a garage door. On
its own, Google Glass could send instructions to open or close your garage door
based on your location. As you start to pull into your driveway or approach
your garage on foot, Google Glass would tell the door to open. And after you
leave the garage, the glasses would tell the door to close.
Of
course, the system wouldn't work with just any old refrigerator or garage door.
The target device would have to be a smart one, outfitted with Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, or near-field communication to allow it to interact with Google's
high-tech specs.
For
that reason, this technology isn't likely to pop up anytime soon. Manufacturers
have rolled out items like smart refrigerators. But they're still extremely
pricey. Until such products become cheaper, we'll likely be stuck opening our
refrigerators and garage doors the old-fashioned way.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57575596-93/google-glass-could-one-day-let-you-control-objects-around-you/
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