Google Glasses Resurrected As Tool In Manufacturing, Construction

Google Glass is making a comeback.

After two years off the shelves, the augmented reality product is back on the market, though this time Google is targeting businesses exclusively, Dezeen reports.

The glass, which resembles eyeglasses, is a wearable computer that transmits information into a wearer's line of sight. Google Glass hit the market with a bang when Google first announced the launch back in 2012, but it did not take long for consumers to decide that the wearable technology made them uncomfortable. With it, users received email, phone calls and other notifications. 

Google Glass was pulled after some controversy in 2015. In one instance, a woman in San Francisco who had been tasked with testing the equipment was physically attacked while wearing the glasses in a bar. At the same time, shops and restaurants in the San Francisco area began to ban Google Glass because it could record and live-stream video footage. The U.K. government also considered banning people from wearing the glasses while driving as it stood to reason it could be considered a form of distracted driving.

Two years of testing later, the product has resurfaced to target the manufacturing and construction industry — and with a new name, Glass Enterprise Edition. 

More than 50 manufacturing, logistics and healthcare businesses, including DHL, Boeing and Volkswagen, tested the product out during the company's two-year hiatus. The results were positive with many companies reporting that workers were able to complete tasks in a faster and more focused, efficient manner.

It is likely Google will also target architect and design firms, some of which are already using its competitor's product, the Microsoft HoloLens. Augmented reality offers the sector the ability to develop architectural models to scale and can even provide them with a view of the interior of a building before it is actually built.

The updated design is essentially the same as the original version but has a better battery life, is lighter and more comfortable to wear, Dezeen reports.

The price of the latest version is not yet known.