Virtual reality glasses from Google's Project Glass could have projected keyboard

Jan. 24, 2013

Unwiredview.com author Stasys Bielinis writes that Google has applied for a projected keyboard patent--technology that could soon be part of its virtual reality glasses.

Google has applied for a projected keyboard patent describing technology that could be used in its Project Glass virtual reality heads-up display glasses. (Courtesy www.unwiredview.com)

Unwiredview.com author Stasys Bielinis (or Staska for short) writes that Google has applied for a laser projected keyboard patent for technology that could soon be included in its virtual reality glasses. Laser Focus World wrote about Google's Project Glass back in April 2012, describing how the virtual reality display--actually a heads-up display or head-worn display like many now being developed for both civilian and military applications--would function; no doubt it includes gesture-recognition technology.

Now, Staska writes about this new keyboard development:

"Google's Project Glass is an impressive device. But until it hits the streets in a few weeks, what do we really know about it?

Pretty darn little, if you ask me.

Yes, we know that Project Glass are virtual reality glasses, able to project computer generated images into your view, which also have video camera and some sort of wireless connectivity allowing you to broadcast live video feed to the cloud.

But how do you control it? How do you input necessary data and issue commands to tell Project Glass to display a map, and show you walking directions to your friend’s house at a particular address? Or dial a number?

Well, Google's patent application"Methods and Systems for a Virtual Input Device" gives us one possible answer. By putting a camera on one arm of the glasses, and a laser projector on another arm, to project a virtual keypad/keyboard onto your hand.

Laser projected virtual keyboards, while not too popular, have been around for a long time. Project Glass just takes the basic idea a little further.

By projecting a virtual keypad onto your hand, it allows you to control it via various gestures. Tilting, rotating your hand, moving a thumb, pressing a fist, etc. will let you do a lot of cool things even with a simplified keypad that fits on your hand. And, since the projector and camera is already there, if you need to do some serious typing--just sit down and have a full blown QWERTY keyboard projected onto a flat surface in front of you.

Is such a laser projected virtual keypad already in the current version of Project Glass? Maybe, maybe not. I have no idea. But even if it's not there yet, I'm pretty sure it will be in Project Glass V2 or V3.”

SOURCE: Unwiredview.com; http://www.unwiredview.com/2013/01/17/googles-project-glass-could-be-operated-via-laser-projected-virtual-keypadkeyboard/

IMAGE: Google has applied for a projected keyboard patent describing technology that could be used in its Project Glass virtual reality heads-up display glasses. (Courtesy www.unwiredview.com)