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Here’s how Google Glass could help you at the airport

by 12 Comments

Could Google Glass tell you where airport parking is available?

Last week, Google showed off its new Google Glasses demo video and also introduced an #ifihadglass competition that encouraged people to use five photos to show what they would do with Google’s latest technology. 

Though the contest was geared toward individuals, JetBlue seems to have taken that challenge up and posted some pretty cool pictures of how they envision Google Glass working at an airport.

Included in the five photos are features that allow you to see parking garage capacity, flight status, baggage claim location and unloading time, and taxi fare estimates, all from your glasses.

My personal favorite was the feature that allowed you to see available outlets — an outlet radar of sorts.

We saw another creative use of the new technology last week when Seattle-based Freak’n Genius released its own Google Glass parody video.

H/T The Verge

Reach staff reporter Taylor Soper at taylor@geekwire.com or on Twitter @Taylor_Soper

  • Guest

    Very cool! Kudos to JetBlue for coming up with these incredible new features. Were I to have Google Glass, I would fly JetBlue every time Arrow were unavailable.

    • ChetCrunch

      Haha, love the Arrow shout out in there!

  • http://www.christopherbudd.com Christopher Budd

    I suspect there’s a better than average chance that these will be banned in airports for security reasons. They may give other ostensible reasons but I can see where security folks would be concerned about these.

    • Guest

      Why? They have similar functionality to eyeglasses, to smartphones, and to tablets, all of which I allow in my airports without any special security concerns.

      • http://www.christopherbudd.com Christopher Budd

        One thing that’s increasingly an issue from a security and privacy point of view isn’t whether data is accessible or not but rather how easily accessible it is, how easily it can be manipulated and how you can access it.

        That’s the case here potentially.

        Looking at the example I see an overlay of power outlets. I’m guessing that means its possible to use these and view blueprints or maps in real time.

        To your point, I can do that on my phone. But, as a security guard you can see me looking repeatedly at my phone at blueprints/maps if I’m using it for information as I’m trying to carry out an attack. With that data coming to me through glasses that are always on, you can’t tell what I’m looking at or if I’m looking at anything at all.

        Here it’s not that it’s giving me access to new data, but doing so in ways that make it harder for others to see what I’m doing. The ability to observe and detect is a key one for security and why plastic guns are banned outright while non-plastic ones are allowed with restrictions.

        Also I’m not sure if these would have audio/video capture capabilities but if they do then you could use these to feed real-time data from people on the ground to people in control of an operation (think like in Aliens).

        • Guest

          I think that’s a pretty weak argument, akin to detaining a man because he’s speaking in a language you don’t understand. (He could be saying anything!)

          Technology will march on and airports will adapt. Simply looking at an outlet does not make that outlet more vulnerable to attack. Recording and relaying information is already possible with technologies we already allow.

          In conclusion, I predict that Google Glass will catch on not only with ordinary men and terrormen, but also with policemen. Let’s move forward together.

          • http://www.christopherbudd.com Christopher Budd

            To be clear I’m not saying I agree with it or that it’s justified or smart. I’m simply predicting that it has a greater than average chance of happening.

            TSA and other airport security agencies are (rightly or not) extremely conservative about risk.

            And there’s a whole host of other issues we can talk about with law enforcement and other authorities using this. But that’s a different thread. :)

          • Guest

            All the more reason to buy Google Glass right now. Should the TSA harass me for the reasons you describe, the settlement I’ll receive will more than cover the cost of glasses and apps for years.

          • ChetCrunch

            With all of the crazy innovations happening every single day, I think it’s fairly safe to say that Google Glass, although a particularly disruptive technology, is a fairly logical next step for Google. With that, I’m sure they’ve already spent astronomical amounts of time and money on researching security protocols all over the world, including TSA. Sure, there might be some trouble along the way, but I’d be willing to bet a pretty penny that they’ll find a way to make it happen.

    • Guest

      Not just airports. Anywhere where personal privacy,ignition be an issue. Health clubs, businesses of various sorts, public facilities, movie theaters (obviously). Etc.

      It’s going to be a bigger issue than people realize.

  • Lewis Lin

    I’m hosting a Seattle meetup in 1.5 weeks to brainstorm cool applications with Google Glass & wearable computing. If you’re interested, just sign up on this form here: http://bit.ly/ZJzRnC

    - Lewis

  • barokstell

    You know what else can help you find parking spaces? The signs in the airport that tell you how many spaces are left in on each floor. And I’ve heard that your ticket (paper or E-) has been known to have your gate number. Also, I think I’ve seen signs before that tell me where to find my baggage, and conveniently they seem to be positioned to catch the eyes of people leaving the gates. I’ve also heard that talking to your driver can get you a pretty accurate taxi drive time and rate. And all without wearing a pair of glasses that the airport or my phone don’t already do. Sorry, Google. You’re going to have to try harder to impress me.