At two years old Google Glass still remains in its beta form and has yet to find a prominent role in our technological landscape. The production of Glass is still too expensive to become commercially successful, and that is not the only thing keeping it from being the next iPhone-like revolution. Issues of privacy and safety are serious concerns that will have to be overcome before the product sweeps the nation.
While Glass remains on the back burner in terms of the commercial marketplace some industries are finding uses for this new technology that offer a wide host of possibilities. This is occurring mainly among industries in which workers use their hands as their primary tool. Surgeons, mechanics, electricians, and others can benefit from Google Glass because of its handsfree nature. Recently the first medical procedure utilizing Glass was conducted. The doctor executing the surgery donned a pair of the glasses and headphone. A live stream was sent from the glasses to a colleague outside of the room. This allowed a second doctor to instruct, suggest, and monitor the events of the procedure (1). Beyond the security provided by the secondary viewer this use of Google Glass has strong implications in terms of how we might train medical professionals. Case studies have begun to study the use of Google Glasses as a means of teaching medical students. The first person experience provided by Glass allows students to experience more realistic walkthroughs before their first hands on attempts. And this new method is not limited to just medical professionals; This use of Glass as a virtual (yet entirely human) instructor can be adopted and applied in a wide variety of fields. Taco Bell is even considering Google Glass to train its employees.
Still it is impossible to ignore the concerns that this technology brings with it. Being such an obvious step towards the union of the body and technology the idea of Google Glass adds to our skepticism and uncertainty about our growing use and dependence on technology. “Big Brother is Watching You” has already become a disturbing reality and Glass feeds this fear even further. “Big Brother is watching you from everyone around you. Oh and Big Brother sees what you see.” A research poll by Toluna found that 72% of Americans placed the concern over privacy as their #1 reason for refusing to wear Google Glass (2). These concerns included fear of hackers, access to location services, and uninvited data collection. Beyond threatening our already dwindling privacy, Google Glass has also sparked a question of safety. While text-message-related accidents have become a worldwide problem it is no wonder that we wonder what effects Google Glass might have in this light. Even though it is a hands-free device many have cited the distraction of its “heads-up” display as a significant threat to drivers and cyclists. And the visual display offered by Glass is not healthy. The screen is presented in front of only one eye but our binocular vision is not built to function this way. “Heads-up displays can cause such problems as binocular rivalry, visual interference and a latent misalignment of the eyes that results when both eyes don’t look at the same object.” (3)
Google Glass is on the horizon of technological advancement but still has much to overcome and many uncertainties to answer before it reaches acceptance into the mainstream. And it may not ever get there as our society’s skepticism of new technologies rapidly grows. While our privacy is continually invaded and abused Google Glass seems too large a leap of faith for us to take in a world where trust has become a rarity.
LINKS:
1.) http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/10/tech/mobile/google-glass-at-work/index.html
2.) http://mashable.com/2014/04/07/google-glass-privacy/
3.) http://www.cio.com/article/2380562/internet/does-google-glass-pose-safety–health-and-security-risks-.html
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