Google relaunches Glass for businesses • Hacker News Board

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#31

Post by LeifCarrotson » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:21 PM UTC

theptip wrote: post #12

aresant wrote: post #9

This is so !@%!@ cool. Check out the A/B test of a technician with / without the software referenced in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5gXuZp25f0 Then here's a video that gives a sense of the software's interface: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5HOHNECW20 Very workflow oriented with nice communication and lookup features. This is the kind of small optimization stuff that is going to be revolutionary…

Is there a good reason they don't put that large manual up on a rack by the actual work area?

I've built a few assembly lines for automotive parts. These machines do one job, and probably only handle a couple part numbers: They might press a gear onto a motor shaft at one station, press on the plastic shroud at another, and add the grease and fasteners at the third station. These do have the operating instructions (Graphical, not English) laminated and displayed prominently above the machine. Someone with zero experience can walk up to the machine on their first day, rotate every couple hours to avoid task blindness, and assemble the parts. After lunch they'll be on a different line with new instructions.

But the bay pictured looks more like a mechanic's shop than an assembly line. You can't pull a car into a vehicle bay and refer to a big picture of "how to fix car" on the wall - the information is in dozens of 3-ring-binders, vehicle repair documentation, and on the computer. On that stand and for that jet engine, there's far too much information to put it on the wall.

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#32

Post by giobox » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:23 PM UTC

djsumdog wrote: post #18

This is cool and all, and I'm glad the concept didn't totally die, but will consumers ever see this type of wearable tech again? Some people shelled out over $1k when Google initially offered glass prototypes, only to be left with unmaintained devices. I honestly though Glass would have done better if it had no recording capabilities built-in. It would have substantially reduced the creepiness factor. It's sad that n…

> I honestly though(t) Glass would have done better if it had no recording capabilities built-in. It would have substantially reduced the creepiness factor.

Outside of the tech community this is a distinction I imagine few would make - most people upon seeing a camera are going to not unreasonably assume it can record. I still see large numbers of people taping over their laptop webcams even when they are turned off.

I think the simpler explanation is that strapping a camera to your face is simply inappropriate or off-putting in some social settings for many people.

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#33

Post by projectramo » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:24 PM UTC

ben_jones wrote: post #28

projectramo wrote: post #25

I know Glass, or something like it, will be great. But I don't know which combination of features + killer app will unlock the thing. HN has probably mentioned this before but is there a reason Google makes announcements on Medium and not on Blogger? I would do the same thing if I had a choice, but Google could just make the formatting on Blogger better.

Automatically send the last 24hr of visual to fast-track airport security?

This sends a clear message to all would-be assailants: wait at least a day after your planning is complete.

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#34

Post by fenwick67 » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:25 PM UTC

theptip wrote: post #13

This seems to me the obvious use-case for AR technology, but Hololens looks further along than Glass; I'd be interested to see where they have got with any comparable Hololens projects.

Hololens is really for AR, Glass is more for "HUD" type applications. Glass doesn't have a way to track the real world or align it with your view the way Hololens does.

Glass is basically just a tiny phone on your glasses.

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#35

Post by losvedir » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:25 PM UTC

aresant wrote: post #9

This is so !@%!@ cool. Check out the A/B test of a technician with / without the software referenced in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5gXuZp25f0 Then here's a video that gives a sense of the software's interface: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5HOHNECW20 Very workflow oriented with nice communication and lookup features. This is the kind of small optimization stuff that is going to be revolutionary…

Wait, isn't that the same person in both videos? In that case, this is just a marketing spot demonstrating how it "could" work, not an "A/B test".

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#36

Post by pm90 » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:26 PM UTC

giobox wrote: post #32

djsumdog wrote: post #18

This is cool and all, and I'm glad the concept didn't totally die, but will consumers ever see this type of wearable tech again? Some people shelled out over $1k when Google initially offered glass prototypes, only to be left with unmaintained devices. I honestly though Glass would have done better if it had no recording capabilities built-in. It would have substantially reduced the creepiness factor. It's sad that n…

> I honestly though(t) Glass would have done better if it had no recording capabilities built-in. It would have substantially reduced the creepiness factor. Outside of the tech community this is a distinction I imagine few would make - most people upon seeing a camera are going to not unreasonably assume it can record. I still see large numbers of people taping over their laptop webcams even when they are turned off.…

> I think the simpler explanation is that strapping a camera to your face is simply inappropriate or off-putting in some social settings, at least with today's typical social norms.

Didn't help that the only people who did/could/would buy the first glass prototypes were nerds who apparently started using them in bars and clubs. That solidified its image as "creepy".

Contrast it with Spectacles, a product designed to record as much as possible. But since it was marketed/targeted towards "cool" people, it never got the creepy trait.

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#37

Post by omot » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:27 PM UTC

I don't know what it is about it, but the design is so cringey. Even on a professional, it just looks... bad.

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#38

Post by spenczar5 » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:28 PM UTC

kharms wrote: post #10

Zhenya wrote: post #5

No info on the HW, that's the interesting part. How did they solve battery life issues etc

In an industrial setting they don't really need to solve that problem. Battery low? Swap out the glasses for another pair.

I'm not sure that's true. One of the examples has a tech working at the top of a wind turbine. Maybe he's supposed to bring up a backup battery pack?

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#39

Post by gfodor » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:29 PM UTC

I've never understood why they insist on having the device be visually asymmetric. Just put a piece of plastic on the other side that is non-functional, and the "cyborg effect" basically goes away. The human brain hates asymmetric faces. Such a stupid oversight, may have been enough to save the consumer effort if they did this from the get-go.

Re: Google relaunches Glass for businesses

#40

Post by marsRoverDev » Tue, Jul 18, 2017, 4:29 PM UTC

omot wrote: post #37

I don't know what it is about it, but the design is so cringey. Even on a professional, it just looks... bad.

In a world where people are forced to wear hi-vis and safety goggles, I don't think people on a shop floor are going to particularly care about looking good if it makes their job easier.