Category: Apps

Wearable technology is gaining a lot of momentum, but does it have any real value? There are a wide range of wearable devices that are set to be released in the coming years, some more innovative than others. Some of these devices promise to change the way people see the world, while others are designed simply to make it easier for people to keep track of their personal information. Some believe wearable devices are nothing more than novelty entertainment tools and others argue that these devices are likely to have a major impact on society, quite literally affecting the way people interact with one another in the future. The real question, however, is this: What do wearable devices do that smartphones can’t?

The question is somewhat complicated. Conventional mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are loaded with a wide range of features that are interactive in nature and designed to make people’s life somewhat more simplistic or enjoyable. The majority of these devices can be customized to suit a person’s particular needs through the use of mobile applications. Augmented reality apps can change the way people see the world, and fitness applications can help people keep track of their physical activity. Other apps can be used to manage finances or find deals at local stores or they can be used for navigational purposes. The problem with smartphones and tablets, however, is that they can only be held and not worn.

Wearable devices can do everything that conventional devices can do, but they do so in a different way. Augmented reality glasses, for example, allow AR applications to be somewhat more intuitive. The benefit of these devices, however, if that they can be operated hands-free, in most cases. Many wearable devices that are being released in the coming months feature voice recognition controls, but the responsiveness of these controls is dubious, especially in crowded areas where many people are talking at once.

Currently, wearable devices exist as a sort of novelty. These devices do not yet do anything more than what can be accomplished with conventional devices. In the future, wearable devices may be more robust, but whether or not they will be able to compete with smartphones and tablets is difficult to say for sure.

Students in Sweden have created a concept video for a translation app called “Google Gesture”.

The fictional app, which appeared in the film created by the students at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm, would be designed to help people understand sign language as it occurs in real time, in other words, it would enable sign language to be translated into speech, which would be made possible when the app is used in conjunction with wearable technology.

Many news reporters were fooled into believing the concept and service were real and from Google.

Although the video concept looks real, it is not, nor does the service exist. Furthermore, Google currently has nothing to do with this wearable tech idea. Several news reporters released apologies and had to make corrections to their original news material that initially stated the service existed and that it was a joint project between Google and the Swedish students, neither of which are true.

Due to the fact that the fictional app was called “Google Gesture” and because the video makes reference to Google Translate and the company’s philosophy in the video, this may have generated confusion and lead to the wrong assumptions.

The innovative sign language wearable technology idea may, one day, break language barriers.

According to the video, “Google Gesture” works with a forearm band that pays close attention to the muscle movements that are made during signing and analyzes the gestures. This is a process known as electromyography. Theoretically speaking, the analysis of these movements would be sent to the app and translated into audible words. The translation would occur in real time. Thus, as the person signs wearing the bands, the corresponding words are spoken out loud via the app.

The video states, “The vast majority of people don’t understand sign language, which means a lot of interesting conversations never take place.” The goal of the concept app is to overcome this problem by enabling sign language to be translated immediately. This would eliminate conversation lulls that typically occur and causes the signing person to wait for the audio to start.

Although “Google Gesture” is not real and is not linked to Google, the company has previously developed software to assist the deaf. For instance, Android’s Google Translate app has a feature that enables users to convert speech into text. It will be interesting to see if the wearable technology idea from the students in Sweden will ever evolve into more than a concept.