Eastern Michigan University’s College of Technology is using Google Glass to experiment with augmented reality.
The department purchased two pairs of Google Glasses in July, and Phillip Cardon, one of the leading professors in the augmented reality experiments, said Google Glass technology is a steppingstone to new possibilities.
“This will revolutionize how we teach,” Cardon said. “Any teacher will be using Google Glass in five years if they want to be ahead of the curve or with the curve.”
The Google Glasses that the university received came with the beta data package and only have one package for augmented reality, so they are limited in what they can handle.
The College of Technology’s most impressive work with Google Glass is the project – structural on-the-job training.
The project uses augmented reality to imbed videos into objects in the workplace. The videos would be used for more effective and efficient training. The idea came from an augmented reality application in the Apple store called Aurasma.
EMU students are responding well to the technology, and Cardon said it reminded him of when the iPad came out.
Alex Price, a first year graduate student, was one of the students to work with the technology.
“It wasn’t difficult and it didn’t take long to make it do cool things,” Price said.
The technology has the potential to translate text in real time and could possibly be the first technology to fully integrate augmented reality into our daily lives. EMU students are making real steps with that goal in mind.
