Special Glasses / NowSpecs

Like MapMerge, I expect a better name to come along. For now, I will call them NowSpecs or simply special glasses.

They are basically Google Glass 3.0, crossed with the Magic Leap product, described as “a Google Glass on steroids that can seamlessly blend computer-generated graphics with the real world”

The point of difference NowSpecs has is that rather than being for entertainment, the glasses will show avatars of virtual travellers. And avatars of robots/drones/things/public transport/taxis/self-driving cars.

(And contextual information about the world around us).

NowSpecs allows you to interact with people and objects who are navigating your world virtually.

So, you wear them all the time. The battery will last all day! When you switch them on (tapping the frame, voice command) they are ready for The Real to be displayed. Ideally you will have  a variety of start profiles and preferences set up, although these can be adjusted as you go:

Local information overlays:

  • Amount of information arriving and leaving (i.e. how long is it in your vision for)
  • Type of information – factual, promotional, status of where you look
  • Contextual to your needs – such as “I need to get home” and info regarding transport times, options and directions is provided.

So imagine you are looking at a supermarket, and you say “NowSpecs, can I buy a fresh Hawaiian pizza?“. Your glasses respond with:

  • Hawaiian pizzas remaining = 1 @ $8.99
  • Average checkout wait time = 3 minutes

You decide to head home instead – “NowSpecs, I need to go home now”

  • An arrow points to the right and says Next Train in 9 minutes, 3 minutes brisk walk
  • An arrow points straight ahead and says Walk Home, 45 minutes brisk walk
  • A phone icon glows at the bottom of your vision and says Uber, 10 minute wait, 10 minute drive

You look directly at the phone icon and say Order Uber.

When you leave the vehicle, you are looking at your home from the sidewalk. Your NowSpecs know to give you the latest info about where you live, such as:

  • Harold (your housemate) left for work 30 minutes ago
  • The temperature inside is 22 degrees Celsius
  • You have leftover pizza in the fridge
  • The rear door is unlocked
  • No humans are in the house

After eating dinner, your NowSpecs glow and beep, so you put them back on. Your mother wants to visit.

  • “NowSpecs, select the room avatar with flowers in a vase and comfy sofas”
  • “OK, I’m ready”

You are a sitting on a vinyl sofa. Opposite you is another vinyl sofa, vacant. Standing on it appears your mother, half-size. It looks very much like your mother, however it is her avatar that is mostly her, with a few of her preferred adjustments.

And she sees your room avatar, rather than your real room. It has the same dimensions, although it is very tidy and the furnishings have been upgraded. Your mother is pleased that you put so much effort into your room avatar.

You talk to you Mum as if she is really there, and you can hear her, see her gestures and facial expressions.

Your Mum is in another state, in her VR room, sitting in her VR System. It has a range of cameras than keep track of her face and arms. Or she could be in on a VR treadmill that allows her to move around her son’s room and see different perspectives.

It’s all unobtrusive except for the VY Googles she is wearing. She is looking forward to when she can just wear her NowSpecs for this purpose.

Fully Merging via NowSpecs

Initially NowSpecs will just be for watching, and to be fully immersive in the now you will need some motion-capture hardware, probably in a dedicated space within your home or office.

As technology improves, it might be possible to have full immersion from wherever you may be:

  • the glasses show your place in the Now
  • your fingertips control your movement left/right or up/down with special gloves or implants
  • motion capture can be achieved by sensors in your clothing and glasses

You will however need a place to quietly sit or stand. It may be that streets become lined with seats just for this purpose. And with all the surveillance cameras, your safety while your focus is elsewhere will be virtually guaranteed.