The existence of Google X was first disclosed late last year and reports that the researchers there were exploring augmented reality surfaced in February. This is the first time Google has officially acknowledged this particular project. Writing for the New York Times, Nick Bilton notes that Babak Parviz is known for creating contact lenses embedded with electronics, which suggests that Google’s augmented reality might be available in a form factor smaller than sunglasses at some point.
Google has posted a video on YouTube that explores how the glasses might work. The scenes shown are not actual production footage of the glasses in the field. They’re augmented with post-production graphics that show how Project Glass might work. But the video conveys what Google hopes to achieve: a seamless experience where the technology enhances activities and doesn’t interfere with them. The future you’ve seen in movies over the last decade is starting to get closer.