Google Glass found to be potentially dangerous

Google's Glass 'eye wear' could be potentially dangerous, leading professors have warned.

The revolutionary 'wearable computer' could disrupt crucial cognitive capacity and distract wearers to the point where they miss things which are 'utterly obvious', they say, according to the Daily Mail.


Daniel J. Simons, is a professor of psychology and advertising at the University of Illinois and Christopher F. Chabris, is a professor of psychology at Union College.

Google Glass is a wearable computer with a head mounted display. It can connect with the internet via voice command and display information on the glass “screens”.

In a piece for the New York Times, the two experts examine the dangers the real-time digital distraction could pose.

They write: “...most agree that a smartphone-linked display and camera placed in the corner of your vision is intriguing and potentially revolutionary — and like us, they want to try it.

“But Glass may inadvertently disrupt a crucial cognitive capacity, with potentially dangerous consequences.”

Earlier this year Sergey Brin, one of Google’s founders, said safety had actually been a motivation for the new product.

He said: “We questioned whether you should be walking around looking down at a smartphone.”

He said designers wanted to make something that freed both the hands and the eyes.

But the professors say when the mind is engaged, wearers could fail to see something that would “otherwise be utterly obvious.”

They write: “Google Glass may allow users to do amazing things, but it does not abolish the limits on the human ability to pay attention.”

Google is already facing a growing backlash over its “Glass” eyewear, with cafe owners in the US banning the technology from their premises.

Dave Meinert, who runs the 5 Point Cafe in Seattle, said those wearing the spectacles will have to remove them if they want to come in.

He has put up a sign on the wall which reads: “Respect our customers’ privacy as we’d expect them to respect yours.”

The move comes after it emerged people wearing Google Glass could be banned from American cinemas, casinos and even parks because owners don’t want filming there.

The glasses, which cost $1,500 a pair (£980), are currently on limited release to 2,000 customers but will be more widely available later this year.

A camera next to the wearer’s eye, which can take photos or record video without a red light or a shutter sound to tell others that it is working, has caused concerns for privacy.

Casinos said the futuristic eyewear could help cheaters to win unfairly and cinemas said they could be used to illegally record films and sell pirate copies.

Lap dance clubs said that they would treat those wearing the Internet-connected specs the same as anyone caught filming a stripper with a cameraphone - and would kick them out.