Google Unveils Project Glass: Wearable Augmented-Reality Glasses

Google today went public with its plans to offer augmented-reality glasses, which it’s calling “Project Glass.”

Unveiling the project should make it easier for Google to test the weird-looking glasses in public. As currently designed, they have a horizontal frame that rests on a wearer’s nose, with a wider strip of computer and a little clear display on the right side. So they’re not really “glasses” in the traditional sense at all.

From a video Google put out of how the prototype works, an augmented-reality-glasses wearer can control music, get directions, take pictures, give voice commands and conduct video chats. The glasses don’t cover the whole eye, so it seems like the wearer does something like look up to engage with the display.

Project Glass is part of the Google[x] special projects division that also includes self-driving cars. The glasses team is led by Babak Parviz, Steve Lee and Sebastian Thrun.

The New York Times first reported the project in February. At the time, it said the glasses were expected to go on sale later this year. However, Google said today that it’s unlikely the glasses will hit the market this year.