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The technology industry, specifically augmented reality (AR) technology, is expanding exponentially and becoming more relevant in our society. Catering towards numerous industries, Google’s Glass Enterprise Edition 2 smart glasses assist a variety of businesses and professionals in enhancing the efficiency of their everyday tasks. As the developers put it themselves, the smart glasses help employees work “harder, smarter, and faster.”
The product was released in May 2019 and resembles the “computer genius” character’s glasses in spy movies. These glasses have a display that relays information for the user along with a variety of advanced features. With an 8-megapixel color sensor on the camera, users can stream their view to another device through Wi-Fi. Microphones and Bluetooth connection are also incorporated in the glasses, allowing users to work in collaboration. Additionally, the frames, made from resin nylon, create a lightweight profile in order to be comfortably worn all day.
Ranging from $799 to $999, Google has opened sales to its third-party hardware vendors as well as anyone else, instead of only partner companies.
According to DB Schenker, a leading company in the supply chain industry, they experienced a 10% increase in efficiency using Glass Enterprise. Warehouse employees now organize packages in a hands-free manner since the information per each task is displayed by the glasses. They can minimize the time it takes to travel between written information or a digital database that contains each package’s location and details for next steps.
The glasses have proven to be extremely useful in the medical industry as well. As reported by Augmedix, the product saves doctor’s an average of 2 hours per day. Doctors can provide their undivided attention and care to patients as a result of minimizing the time it takes to document and chart their medical histories/conditions.
The Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 glasses can function up to 8 hours, a typical working shift. However, its competitors RealWear HMT-1 and Vuzix M4000 can maintain a battery life of 5-6 hours and 12 hours respectively. Though these are two opposite extremes as compared to the Enterprise Edition 2, some companies prefer this brand due to the “hot-swappable” batteries they are developed with. In other words, the batteries can be changed (even during current operation) to combine the battery lives in case of emergencies. The Enterprise Edition 2 unfortunately does not provide a backup plan for recharging if the battery runs out during a work shift.
The product plays an extremely significant role in the processes of businesses, regardless of the present areas needing revision. As technology continues to rebuild and improve upon itself, the Enterprise Edition 2 is only a small step toward the long journey to perfect efficiency.