This hiring only adds a larger amount of certainty that Apple is indeed pouring itself into wearable tech.
The latest technology news with regards to the iWatch is now crossing over with the announcement that Nike made earlier this year that it would be downsizing its Fuelband team as it changed its focus from having been on hardware toward software, instead.
This caused many to believe that the Fuelband would soon be finished, but it opened up an opportunity for Apple.
At the same time that nobody seems to know whether or not Nike will be moving ahead with its own wearable technology, Apple appears to be snatching up the former members of the Fuelband team and many are justifiably assuming that those individuals are being added to the experts working on the so called iWatch. The latest in hiring in this field has included two of the execs that had been a part of the efforts for the fitness band, and who are likely now placing their focus on the first smartwatch from the iPhone maker.
The two new members to the assumed iWatch team include Jon Gale and Ryan Bailey formerly of Nike Fuelband.
These two experts in mobile technology is only helping to add more fuel to the very powerful fire regarding rumors of a smartwatch that the industry believes will be released by Apple as early as October of this year. As is the policy of that electronics company, no official announcements or confirmations have been made regarding the device, as they never speak to any future developments until the official unveiling.
That said, the types of announcements that Apple has made, in combination with the patents that have been purchased and the type of hiring that they have done has made it so that there is little doubt left that some form of device in the wearables category is on its way.
Gale had been a Senior Firmware Engineer on the Nike team and has now been hired by Apple as a Sensing Systems Engineer. Bailey was at Nike as a Senior Test and Validation Engineer but is now a Mechanical Design Engineer at Apple. Both are presumably working on the iWatch.
New app for Google Glass enables users to control the device with their mind.
A new wearable tech application, a program known as MindRDR, that has been designed to work with Google Glass, but has not yet received approval from Google, allows users to control the optical head mounted display with nothing more than their thoughts.
The program works with Glass and another head mounted sensor.
MindRDR, which comes from London-based developer, This Place Ltd., works in combination with Google’s wearable technology and another sensor that is mounted on the user’s head to analyze the person’s brainwaves. The sensor also measures the focus level of the user. When the user’s level of focus surpasses a specific threshold, MindRDR tells Google Glass to take a picture. If the user continues to concentrate, the app will inform Glass to post the picture on social media.
The app is open source and it is free, which means that anyone is welcome to experiment with it to make new developments. This Place believes that MindRDR could one day be utilized to enable people with locked-in-syndrome, quadriplegia or sever multiple sclerosis to communicate via Google Glass. The company has even said that Stephen Hawking has shown interest in MindRDR.
The app has not been approved by Google but the company is interested in learning about new technology for its wearable tech.
In an email to TIME, a spokesperson for Google comment that the “application seems to work through a separate piece of kit which you attach to Glass. We have not reviewed, nor approved the app so it won’t be available in the Glass app store. Of course, we are always interested in hearing about new applications of Glass.”
The wearable device does not really need hands to be operation because it responds to voice commands. Many believe that Glass has a lot of potential for being particularly beneficial to individuals who are paralyzed, helping them to gain some independence in their life. There have even been talks of Glass having advanced eye tracking capabilities.
Thus, although it is unknown what exactly is in store for Google Glass, it is clear that serious technological advancements are being considered for this wearable tech
