Google Goggles is the future. But not the ‘eventually we will have something that can do that’ future, since it already exists, but the ’10 years ago, we thought we would have something that could do that in 100 years, but now we have it today’ future.
To use Google Goggles, you just take a picture of something with your Android phone using the Google Goggles app, and it automatically searches Google for the thing in the image. For instance, snap a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge, and it will automatically show you the search results for that landmark:
You can take pictures of landmarks, books, business cards, artwork, places, wine, or even a logo, and it will do its best to figure out what you’re trying to search for. And while that’s a neat trick on its own, the future part comes into play when you think of what this could enable with a few small tweaks.
Imagine if you had a pair of glasses with a camera in the front and screens on the inside. (See the Vuzix Wrap 920 for an example.) Then imagine that the camera is connected to the Google Goggles app, so that whenever you look at something, it automatically pulls up additional information from the web and displays it right in front of you. Suddenly you’re walking around like the Terminator with an augmented reality style display giving you extra information about the world around you in real time.
That might sound futuristic, but the technology to make it happen exists today, and all that’s needed is for someone to put the pieces together and get everything to play nicely with one another. Throw in a machine gun and add some Michael Bay to the mix, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a party!