Project Glass: Skydiving Demo at Google I/O 2012

At Google I/O 2012, the Project Glass team took product demoing to a new level. Come with us and see how we spent the weeks leading up to the Google I/O demo ... living in the moment, doing Hangouts in Air, and freefalling with Glass.

[@RyanBrack]

Best. Product. Demo. Ever.

[@RyanBrack]

Why am I posting this again? BC it was just so damn cool. Well, that and it's my Googleversary today-- this was one of the most memorable moments of the year.

[@BrettAJohnson]

That's funny, I rewatched the IO keynote yesterday too, specifically the dive.

[@nlicky]

Well, the skydiving demo was awesome, but this video featuring some interesting video takes the cake for being cool. It's awesome to see skydivers, what's more awesome is using Google Glass to record their flights down. Good music as well, it fits the extreme skills of the skydivers.

[@Roxas3510]

We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices

[@jennythavixai3360]

รดจก

[@nakokleng6467]

Roxas3510 w,

[@dulcegama2364]

Hola

[@mehmetcevik7301]

Roxas3510 m jüri üyeliğioopo BM.. mümkünse internetten para m. ,

[@MikeTrieu]

The point is they made a streaming camera in a form-factor usable enough for extreme conditions. If it can be done in that environment, it can be done practically anywhere. That's quite empowering to me.

[@b.sharp007]

2022 anyone?)

[@titanicclash]

These are shot from the Google Glass "augmented reality scouter" project, so they are a much truer perspective (as far as what your eyes actually see) for all the first-person shots. This is an extension of the first released photos with Google Glass, which were the first-person perspective of a father swinging his child around, with both hands in the photo. The photo was taken from the eye's perspective, handsfree at will. Capturing your own vision at will, with video... is this. Amazing.

[@fmklww]

ok now lets be realistic people who the F#CK would go skydive with $1500 glasses on your head??

[@LongDono]

Why not? If your head hits the ground, I doubt you're going to be concerned about your glasses...

[@JohnSmith-dd7qt]

[@sunnyhopkins9001]

+Donovan Long I don't think is talking about falling to your death with the glasses on...he is saying that anything can happen like if the glasses fall off your face or if you don't nail the landing and they get broke.....He isn't saying that the person is dumb for wearing 1500$ glasses because the very worst can happen

[@hranglalahranglala7330]

C.Lalrinmawia

[@DoomVik]

For the ones who are interested the song is called Quiet Little Voices by We Were Promised Jetpacks

[@karl_franks]

It tells you this product has incredible potential for capturing things in a way normal cameras/phones can't

[@cidcarioca]

I started a skydive course after this video lol That´s so amazing! Thank you google!

[@tylermcgookin2985]

I tried skydiving and I loved it. Would do it again and again if I could. 13,000 ft.+ is pretty amazing you get to see the area in a whole new way.

[@sohelparvej2712]

This is the new dimension of Google.Its really wonderful. I am happy...

[@Yepi6918]

The technology we had before and the technology we have today, lookin back its pretty amazing and mind blowing right? Our world keeps inovating more and more.

[@HamzaZahid]

Awesome.... I really LOVE Skydiving & Paragliding... When I was Teenager, I saw Dragon Ball Z... and ever since then i have a dream of Flying.... And with GLASS i juts LOVE it

[@Madfox95124]

Love this video. I can't wait to get my own pair of Google Glass!

[@pattybryda2797]

This is definitely on my "bucket list". 1) voice lessons to strengthen my voice, 2) I would love to learn how to Tango, etc..., 3) Skydive. 4) Go back to hawaii

[@LionheartCloud]

Just for those who don't know what the song playing throughout the video is, it's Quiet Little Voices by We Were Promised Jetpacks. :)

[@AndersKjeldgaardNielsen]

No, what I mean is the picture quality when recording. If you ever tried to film something while walking, you often get this shake, from everytime your feet hit the ground, something you don't notice normally, but the camera picks up, unless it has antishake function.

[@TechTaboo]

Agreed. I own an iOS and Mac OS X user but I'm excited for these.

[@ZILLA....]

"Normal cameras." I'm glad you find the quality of the video on the glasses so good that you think they are using traditional HD cameras. From what I have read, everything is film from the glasses.

[@piRatCaptain]

I've been waiting for this for over a decade.

[@phdnk]

The track is "We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices", just in case anyone likes it.

[@MikeTrieu]

Sergei explained on G+ that it was for the specialized radios needed to communicate with the base stations while a mile above the earth.

[@youngzzterwiil27]

I love how google uses songs that arent popular, but sound amazing, requiring us to hunt the song down, leading to having new favorite artists.

[@orion310591RS]

For all of those which do not understand, its about glasses recording in HD/HQ!

[@okflyaway99]

Wow, this product could really change the course of IT technology one day.

[@wrenchy744]

Incorrect. If you read Sergey Brin's Google+ Post, "The aerial footage was captured on Glass. The higher fidelity footage was recorded locally on the device whereas the hangouts were live streamed at a much lower resolution because of the challenges of networking a skydiver inflight." " Because we were unable to get regular wifi (which is built into Glass) to work under those conditions, we had to use extra networking gear which was tethered via usb to the device" Go-Pro was not used.

[@davidfof13]

this is so awesome. definitely one of my dreams in llife

[@williampudiwitr9138]

WOW ! I see it as look at the possibilities !!! I think it would be almost impossible to carry a camera or cell phone around all day every day to make videos . But a pair of glasses that's ingenious !!!

[@suatae]

It's more than that. The camera is only one feature. It's a Heads-up display device with all the added features of a phone with augmented reality.

[@MikeTrieu]

Well, hands-free video has been done via helmet cams for quite some time now. What Google did was package mobile phone technology into a lightweight head-mounted unit. Glass has many more sensors that a simple helmet cam does which leads to rich media with multi-faceted context.

[@MeneerAanvalsbeer]

its not a webcam glasses with added bluetooth to communicate with devices such as a phone, but it is a smartphone itself that you can wear, and have an augmented reality screen in front of your eye.

[@MikeTrieu]

Some people have no vision for the future. Yes, a real-time camera in glasses is HUGE! This kind of tech will change human social interaction forever for good or for ill. Personally, I can't wait until a functional camera is placed in a contact lens.

[@MikeTrieu]

People need to get over that. Google isn't at war with Apple (yet). Apple is at war with Google. Props to Google for taking the high road and not getting into a slugging match.

[@617duke]

AWESOME!!! Great quality images, can't wait to try out the actual camera!

[@marlenemcgovern808]

Yeah!! Great way to begin Everyday.. : ) testing equipment! Looks Fantastic!!

[@duduseixas90]

The song is: We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices

[@luiscesarcoloradoccahuay3629]

me encanta el Vídeo. Y ya me gustaría tener mi lentes de Google Glass se que mis palabras tal vez no sean de tan importancia pero me da mucho gusto por el equipo conformado de este proyecto tan ambicioso y de suma importancia para todos y tal más para mi...

[@user-jp8cu2vi7u]

Google Tech. is making our Life Style Better

[@maniapa]

Its a song called "Quiet little voices" made by "We were promised jetpacks". Really good band, check out their other stuff like "Medicine"!

[@MikeTrieu]

Indeed. It was interesting to hear Sergei nearly lamenting that omission in the behind-the-scenes video.

[@CyrilCullen]

Amazing Project!

[@bunty569]

Tec is getting bigger and brighter for us to use

[@tinabrown5991]

This is one of my wish lists.

[@mikerhinos]

Glass not only record images, it can project things like on a HUD directly on what you watch, it will bring augmented reality in a pretty cool way i think. It even has a microphone and a speaker, maybe in a few years it will just replace smartphones, with clouds it will be amazing. Hope all will become real :)

[@SalePetrovic87]

Find it (the song is): We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices

[@Serenicity]

The song is Quiet Little Voices by We Were Promised Jetpacks

[@blenderworks5559]

People at the I/O could preorder unpolished developer glasses for 2013 (going at $1500), so that means consumers will probably get the final version sometime in 2014.

[@stingrey93]

The song name is = We were promised jetpacks - Quiet little voices

[@MikeTrieu]

Well, they've also got a crude head-tracking mechanism via the typical mobile sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, etc.) for menu navigation on the microdisplay.

[@ytgari]

This is the Google we miss 🥹

[@TechnoJon96]

And the videos aren't necessarily 1080p. They were probably scaled up for the video just so the logo and stuff could be HD.

[@antoniomartinsfernandesfer3645]

eficiência transparência acima de tudo á qualidade neste serviço muitos sucessos prá vesses

[@citlallicardenas6612]

THOSE WERE THE GLASSES I WAS WAITING FOR

[@HTTYDinHeaven]

They'll probably make prescription glasses with this built in. After all, this is basically (from what I can tell) a pair of glasses with plastic/real glass covering the eyes and a little camera or whatever built into the side. So they'll probs just add the tech to normal glasses.

[@RicardoHernandezVzlaYV]

Muy bueno me encanto y por eso me subscribí. Espero tener tiempo para poder verlos todos. gracias por compartirlos y sigan creando cosas así relacionadas con la aviación y el paracaidismo. It is very very good.

[@havanahjoe]

Supposedly it was all shot using the glasses: "The higher fidelity footage was recorded locally on the device whereas the hangouts were live streamed at a much lower resolution because of the challenges of networking a skydiver inflight"

[@LieutenantCloud]

The video is demonstrating its use as a point-of-view video recording device, and the amount of immersion that goes hand in hand with that. I thought that was obvious. It's not designed to be a spec trailer.

[@franciscogalvezaguilar5600]

Espectacular!!! Maravilloso!!! A veces, sobrecogedor.

[@Zomgar2340]

I don't know why but this video makes sky diving look SO much more fun than I ever thought it would be.

[@OranPandak]

Good job buys, already looking forward to Glass' commercial release

[@AuRevoirTune]

They're showing off the recording capabilities of the Google glasses. Them jumping was all recorded with the glasses, not anything like a GoPro camera or anything.

[@soapy010]

Just to be clear, all the footage was filmed with the glasses. The footage on the screen was just blurrier because it was from a lifestream.

[@danidensborn1336]

Grandios......Super Video.!!!!

[@MikeTrieu]

Actually, they do. This functionality was demoed prior on G+ during a TV interview.

[@EscapingLogician]

..no, not at all. It's quite a bit more than that. The goal is for it to provide all the features a smartphone currently does, on a virtual heads up display, a form of augmented reality facilitated by voice navigation and eye tracking. Check out their concept video for a better idea. Just look up Google Glass concept video.

[@MikeTrieu]

Recording in HD isn't an issue. Even streaming it over a network isn't a problem. The real issue is that the network in question is the wireless carriers' cellular networks, which are dog slow, unreliable, and spotty. Apparently, you can't even rely on them 1 mile above ground (most likely due to the cell towers' relatively flat radiation pattern).

[@ChrisWoodsNY]

This is incredible!

[@alfonsok2360]

This is truly innovating

[@KAI3Kuroseiga]

This is amazing, holy shit. if you pull this off google I will love you.

[@TomasVasquez]

saco! Não consigo parar de assistir esse vídeo :)

[@CPSPD]

They are augmented reality glasses, but with a camera built in.

[@nuncasinrespeto]

You are absolutely awesome! Thank you!

[@Minjaykee]

glasses are so freaking awesome!

[@sissyspaceship]

Theyre skydiving with mobile heads up displays that can link video between the ground and every skydiver up there all powered by a mobile phone. When you think about it thats pretty epic.

[@VRXize]

song: We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices

[@MikeTrieu]

It's displayed on a small optical waveguide just above a single eye. Follow Project Glass on G+ for more info.

[@JohnKoepi]

p.s. I did not said CAM in glasses is not a future. But, this is not many people waited from that. Second, in a lot of countries it is lawlessly to hold glasses with a CAM inside.

[@hondaissace]

hey hey! camera is not the main feature of google glasses! it also has a virtual reality display over the right eye. That's the attraction. And also the camera will help in the google goggles app running on the google glasses!

[@JosephColton]

If you look closely, it is Google Chrome on a Mac, not Safari.

[@Peizxcv]

Is the HUD working yet or is this a demo of GoPro streaming? The HUD is a lot more difficult than the streaming as previous attempts all failed because of the closeness of the screen to eyes.

[@ArczAngel]

this would be my ultimate gadget! I wish and I dream to have this one awesome device!

[@mdmcke1894]

Google, any chances of having the full clip from I/O, from the time Sergey rushed the stage with the announcement and putting up the skydivers up on the big screen ? The whole thing was unreal, I would love to relive that moment again!

[@katherinewu6395]

This is awesome. Found skydiving' cool from the view

[@kronos1811]

Glasses! a new era!!!

[@jonivison]

Song is By - We Were Promised Jetpacks : quiet little voices Enjoy :)

[@MikeTrieu]

It also packs the standard mobile sensors. Now they just need to write an app that provides contextual info on the microdisplay. That shouldn't be hard to do on Android.

[@83bluejean]

This is "Quiet Little Voices" by We Were Promised Jetpacks

[@ThePinoyPhil]

I can never figure out how these kind of videos get dislikes. People who hate awesomeness?

[@AndersKjeldgaardNielsen]

Yeah, but how well does it work when you are walk, bouncing up and down, left right? Thats the thing with jumping out of the plane, sure you moving, but its smooth. You don't get those bumps.

[@jannorasmus]

this is really revolutionary :)

[@RyanSanderson]

recording in high quality with your glasses. awsome

[@LexBlagus]

Hold on just a sec, no one skydives without... skydive glasses! One would be just unable to open his eyes.

[@makingitsnowy]

i think this is only the beginning, they've got years of work to do before the glasses are done, right now they've just got a camera connected to the internet, nothing special, but there's tons of potential.

[@MikeTrieu]

The quality is only a symptom of the problem. We need better Internet access links. True 4G might do it someday, but the data caps and pricing definitely put a damper on this kind of life-streaming application.

[@MikeTrieu]

Yeah? Is it full color? Binocular? Resolution? Internet-connected? Battery life? Projection technology (LED, laser, LCoS)?

[@irocket100xs]

I want to do this!!! How cool is this!

[@remo8877]

Song : We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices

[@VexedFilms]

even without the quite that much is obvious, they show the difference between the hangout and the glass in the video. and skydivers don't quickly remove GoPros mid-fall to look like they are using Google glass.

[@MikeTrieu]

I think it's YOU who made the assumption that this device was intended for immersive AR. Clearly, it's not, otherwise it'd have a binocular display and be line-of-sight. It's "augmented" in the sense that it offers limited at-a-glance information, but that's their design decision to make. Other companies can and are currently developing devices with much richer experiences. For now, we all play the waiting game until they're released.