Google shows new AR glasses, VR headset at TED
Google on Tuesday for the first time showed off prototype glasses that combine a miniature display with the company's Gemini AI assistant.
Why it matters: Google joins Meta, Apple and others in exploring the ability to overlay a digital display on the real world. Cost remains a hurdle to bringing such devices to a broad market.
Google also demoed a forthcoming mixed reality headset along the lines of Apple's Vision Pro in demos at the TED Conference in Vancouver.
Driving the news: Android XR head Shahram Izadi and a colleague showed the glasses, which look similar to a standard pair of specs, performing live translation from Farsi to English, scanning a book and performing other tasks.
"These glasses work with your phone, streaming back and forth, allowing the glasses to be very lightweight and access all of your phone apps," Izadi said.
Izadi also showed a preview of an immersive mixed reality headset being built with Samsung that bears a striking resemblance to Apple Vision Pro and uses pass-through video to allow the real and digital worlds to merge.
In that demo, Google showed the ability to overlay multiple windows, see an immersive view of Cape Town South Africa and play a 360-degree video of snowboarding.
A Google representative was not immediately available to offer further details.
The big picture: Meta showed off a similar concept last year with its Orion glasses.
What's next: The next key will be figuring out how to improve battery life and getting the cost down.
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