While Google Glass died an ugly public death, some aspects of it are still in play in industrial applications according to several reports published in April including one from CNBC. On the consumer side, the pirate looking device, as pictured below, was rejected as it stood out in a crowd in a negative way leading to some users being assaulted. The project quietly shifted to Google's Nest division in the hopes that the new team would be able to bring in fresh eyes and ideas and reinvent Google Glass to better blend into the public. Patently Mobile recently discovered a patent application published by the U.S. Patent Office that confirms that Google engineers are looking at a whole new approach to Google Glass.

As you can see in Google's patent FIG. 1 below, the new Google Glass system is designed to appear like everyday glasses that could blend right into the public without causing suspicion and trouble for the user. The system mellows out and uses micro-LED panels on both the right and left eyepieces.

Google's patent FIG. 3B above is a perspective illustration of a portion of a head wearable display showing how image segmentation circuitry is embedded within the transparent substrate adjacent to the array of micro-LED panels.

Technically, Google's patent FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustration of a head wearable display #100 implemented with reflected LED micro-display panels, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The illustrated embodiment of head wearable display includes displays #105, circuitry #110 and #112, and a frame assembly configured for wearing on a head of a user.

Each display includes an active area #107 that includes an array of LED micro-display panels aligned to an array of collimating reflectors that reflect a display image #108 back towards a user's eyes #109.

The illustrated embodiment of the frame assembly includes a front frame #115, a left ear arm #120, and a right ear arm #125. In the illustrated embodiment, circuitry #110 and #112 are embedded into or otherwise disposed in or on left ear arm and right ear arm respectively; however, the circuitry may also be distributed in or on the front frame. The circuitry may include various electronics including one or more display controllers (e.g., one for each eyepiece #105), a microprocessor, interfaces, one or more wireless transceivers, a battery, a camera module, a speaker, etc.

Additionally, patent FIG. 1 illustrates displays as see-through eyepieces that combine ambient light #130 with display images #108 to present the user with an augmented reality.

In another embodiment, the displays #105 may not be see-through, but rather present the user with a virtual reality.

Additionally, the head wearable display may assume other shapes and form factors than conventional eyewear, such as goggles, a visor, etc.

Google filed their patent application back in March 2016. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.

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