Wow, talk about science fiction becoming fact, you have to watch the video in this article:

Google testing heads-up display glasses in public, won’t make you look like Robocop — Engadget.

Actually, this video by rebelliouspixels is probably more like what we can expect from Google:

This depicts the evolution of wearable computers. See http://wearcam.org/steve5.htm for the original JPEG file. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve been keeping an eye on the augmented reality field since I first read about Steve Mann‘s work on wearable computing and computer-mediated reality in the 1980s (now there’s a true geek, walking around in public looking like one of the Borg). It’s been a steady progression since then, and Google’s is one of the most advanced yet.

Of course, it’s still in the prototype stage, so it will be a few years before this is available commercially. But it’s coming, and it’s going to be a game-changer. Smartphones are going to be obsolete, and apps are going to have to be completely redesigned.

This raises a number of safety issues, though. Imagine people trying to read messages and reply, or even play games, while walking or driving. Hopefully Google will have their self-driving car on the market by then to save us from the resulting carnage.

What do you think? How is this going to change our lives?