Google publishes a patent application that uses holograms for Google Glass

Imagine Google Glass showing you a virtual map while you are walking down the road to some new address, or immerse into a new gaming experience with your surroundings turned in to a gaming arena. All this could be possible with Google’s new patent application. The new patent application makes use of holograms in head – mounted displays such as Google Glass and might be able to create augmented reality over CGI (computer – generated imagery). The patent lists about Google’s research on merging two major technologies today i.e., augmented reality and head- mounted displays.

Google filed the patent last year in March as reported by Tech Crunch. The eyewear could be smarter and more useful if it could make the project content interact with the real world rather than just be stationary. In the patent it is described how Google could achieve this using holograms. The patent says, “With augmented reality the viewer’s image of the world is augmented with an overlaying CGI, also referred to as a heads-up display.”

There are a number of practical as well as leisure applications for HMDs i.e., head mounted displays. For example, in aerospace application, a pilot could flight control information without taking his eyes off the path. Other public safety applications could allow thermal imaging or display of maps. There are many other applications in fields such as transportation, telecom and video games.
The patent said, “There is certain to be new found practical and leisure applications as the technology evolves; however, many of these applications are limited due to the cost, size, weight, field of view, and efficiency of conventional optical systems used to implemented existing HMDs.”

The key behind such smart HMD is to allow interaction between the projected content and the real world. The patent has been published under the title of “Lightguide With Multiple In-Coupling Holograms For Head Wearable Display” and gives details as to how Google could potentially solve this problem. It says, “with augmented reality, the viewer’s image of the world is augmented with an overlaying CGI, also referred to as a heads-up display”.

According to reports Google can rope in Magic Leap which is a US based startup for making the holograms for Google Glass. A number of trademarks have already been filed by Magic Leap for the augmented reality content. Despite Google Glass failing at the first attempt, Google is not ready to give up on this project. According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, the same project is now being pursued under a different name. The new name is “Project Aura” and Ivy Ross who lead the Glass project, is heading this one too.

The team has been hiring project managers, developers and engineers from research division Lab126 of Amazon.com. Eric Schmidt, Google Executive Chariman said that the company won’t give up on the Glass project as it has capability to bring up a whole new market. Google has been distributing new Glass version to manufacturing, energy and healthcare industries. This eyewear was long withdrawn from the market but the tech giant is thinking of releasing a newer and better version of it.