SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Google Glass and it's effect on sailing

14K views 127 replies 40 participants last post by  hellosailor 
#1 · (Edited)
Unless you've been out at sea for a few years, you know that Google Glass is coming.

Here is an interesting Wired Magazine article. The translation with automatic overlay is amazing and makes you wonder if you'll need a chart plotter in the future when it's already built into your eye glasses. (This from a man who uses his Droid as a chart plotter.). And not even talking about how votive commands could be integrated.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/11/google-glass-sdk/

Regards,
Brad
 
#2 · (Edited)
Personally, I'm a bit sceptical..

IIRC, "Wearable Computing" was developed over a decade ago now (no, not by Google), and, apart from specialist applications in military and exploration where it persists to this day, it faded away almost as fast as it appeared - simply because there was no demand for it. A "solution in search of a problem", you might say.

What Google has to offer most seems to be real-world reasons to use the technology in the first place (ie. problem generation). Will it ever replace chart plotters?? Dunno maybe. Ask Google. ;)
 
#8 ·
Personally, I'm a bit sceptical..

IIRC, "Wearable Computing" was developed over a decade ago now (no, not by Google), and, apart from specialist applications in military and exploration where it persists to this day, it faded away almost as fast as it appeared - simply because there was no demand for it. A "solution in search of a problem", you might say.
I was somewhat skeptical too... then I realised I make my living coding on some of those "wearable computers" all the time - smart phones. For a long time, they too were "a solution in search of a problem"... then Blackberry found a problem to solve, Nokia's N-series tried to muscle in on the game, and finally Apple convinced everyone else that life was not worth living if they were disconnected from the Interwebs for more than half an hour. There is more power & connectivity in the modern "wearable computer" we take for granted than in the first four of my desktop computers combined.

Do I think Google Glass is going to be the next iPhone? Nope. I do think, however, it is the next Blackberry. It will be useful for some, cool to have/use for others, and serve as the platform/inspiration for those that will take the idea to the next level.

As for being a chart plotter or similar... I don't think so just yet. The resolution of the display is too low and the device is WAY too expensive to be wearing on one's head at the back of the boar during heavy swell or chop. Give the technology some time to catch up to the promise of never having to pull the phone out to get/see information. It took a while for Blackberry's emails to become iPhone's... well, "everything there's an App for". It'll take at least that long for Glass to become as ubiquitous :)
 
#46 ·
I find the digital hooey pretty awesome. And, it adds amazing redundancy. We have the Garmin installed, a hand held garmin, tablet and everyone's phones. Paper charts in the chart table also. All of the android devices have Navionics. I can be sleeping in my bunk and look at my phone to see where we are, etc. I have a Nexus Multi display as well to see anything else, but Navionics on the phone is pretty sweet. Having it in my sunglasses will be even more sweet.
 
#5 ·
None of yall can see the potential here? Heads up display (HUD)......? Vital information that you are looking for literally right in front of your face...always. Heading, course over ground, speed through water, speed over ground, vcg, wind speed and direction, etc.

This means no more looking for the tack ticks or at gps screen or having to leave the side of the cockpit to look at the binnacle compass or trying to read the compass next to the companion way far forward in cockpit.

It could help for cruisers to have a HUD for charts or/with radar overlay for coming into unfamiliar ports/harbors. Radar in front to of you during inclement weather or heavy fog.

This doesn't even touch virtual reality of incorporating AIS. When AIS targets within range you can see it pop up on display when you look in its direction (think fighter jet helmet). Or charts, seeing landmarks or structures on display, depth curves and semi submerged objects..

I'm not even getting into voice commands, just imagine asking for speed or course, or how far till way point. Voice can interact with above topics/paragraphs..

You can't just say oh its just some new tech that isn't going to be helpful before you actually know what it's capable of doing. This has HUGE potential in a lot of areas not just sailing.

-sent from sea via corked bottle
 
#15 ·
This doesn't even touch virtual reality of incorporating AIS. When AIS targets within range you can see it pop up on display when you look in its direction (think fighter jet helmet). Or charts, seeing landmarks or structures on display, depth curves and semi submerged objects..

I'm not even getting into voice commands, just imagine asking for speed or course, or how far till way point. Voice can interact with above topics/paragraphs...
Coming soon to a marina near you, FIREFOX, the boat. :)
 
#16 ·
Chart plotters fail, compasses can break, a mast can fall, sails can rip.. There's always what if.. But if you exercise proper prudence with anything it reduces those chances.. And old school tech? What's old school these days? Compass? Gyro Compass? Radar? Gas? They have la all been around for at least 2 decades.. I'm not asking yall to throw your binnacle away in favor of this, I'm saying don't knock it till you understand it. A good seaman will always have redundant stations(see: prudence)

-sent from sea via corked bottle
 
#9 ·
Like it or not, this is the future. This type of technology is in the beginning stages and will eventually explode with possible applications. The military has been using visual cues projected on face shields and windshields for years now. Just think about some of the technology we use in everyday life that was but only a crude device in the beginning with limited capabilities. Before the ideas of today and tomorrow become a reality, we have to wait for the technology to give us what is needed to make it so. Thus the always present problem of saying to one's self, should I go ahead and buy this today or wait until next year for the latest version to come out. No matter, whatever you buy that is the latest technology is already old school. As the saying goes "you ain't seen nothing yet".
 
#11 ·
There's a LOT of information displayed on a plotter, put that much information on glasses in front of your eyes and you'll sail right into the side of a tanker. That's why heads up displays offer a minimum of critical information.

At 6 knots how much "real time" information do you need? Wind speed, depth? I can get that by glancing at the large displays on my binnacle.

How often do you glance down at the detail on your plotter while sailing? It's a reference that you check periodically, you certainly don't stare at it.

Plotters have become ubiquitous because they offer a real advantage over paper charts in the cockpit. I don't see google glasses offering that same kind of obvious advantage.
 
#17 ·
It's only over one eye... So if you hit a tanker it's because you either were practicing good seamanship or you didn't take the patch over your other eye... Plus the lens where info is displayed is transparent (has anyone seen a corvette HUD?)

How often do you check your tack ticks or similar devices?

Cruisers may not see the whole potential of this but racers can definitely use this. All real time info without taking eyes off of driving or tell tales..

-sent from sea via corked bottle
 
#13 ·
Hey,

This could be a big benefit. When I am sailing, the LAST place I like to be is behind the wheel. But that is where most chart plotters are located. So to see that information you need to be somewhere in the back of the boat. Having a hands free way of viewing information could be very useful. With google glass you could be sitting in the side decks and have all the plotter information right in front of your eyes. I know that most modern plotters will now stream the display to an android or iOS device, but that's something you need to hold in your hand, that can easily get dropped, wet, or otherwise broken. I do use my phone to run a lite plotting program but having more information would be a benefit.

Do I think this will be a game changer? No. However, it certainly will be useful. I image that short handed sailors, especially racers, and others like that will be using it.

Barry
 
#14 ·
For me, the whole point of going sailing is to be disconnected from the rest of the world. I spend all day being bombarded by technology and demands for my attention. On the boat, the only demand is the boat. The last thing I would want is to look at something on the shore and a damn great pop-up advert blocks my vision (you just know that is going to happen). I just don't think there is that much information that *has* to be in front of your eyes all the time on a sailboat. Perhaps if you are an AC racer then yes, I can see how you might find it useful, but for most us, well, we aren't moving along at several hundred miles an hour and things just don't happen that quick.
 
#19 ·
Paul is pretty close to the mark on this for me.

I'm not anti-technology, but I doubt Google will allow me the luxury of restricting my display to "sailing data" on my Google Glass. I'll be bombarded with texts, email and advertisements. There's no way in hell, that I will go out sailing with all of that in my vision.

I see the value for racers, not so much for cruisers (and I do both).

Plus, I wear prescription eye glasses now. I absolutely HATE them when I'm sailing, and I switch to contact lenses. I'm not about to put on contact lenses so that I can go sailing with a Google Glass strapped to my head. I want to be free, and unencumbered.

Once, I left my phone ringer on by accident while sailing. My phone rang, and I foolishly answered it out of concern that one of my daughters might be trying to contact me. You can imagine my rage when it turned out to be a telemarketer interrupting my moment of Zen out on the water.

I might own a Google Glass someday, but it'll be off, shoved into the galley drawer while I'm sailing.
 
#37 ·
I'm not anti-technology, but I doubt Google will allow me the luxury of restricting my display to "sailing data" on my Google Glass. I'll be bombarded with texts, email and advertisements. There's no way in hell, that I will go out sailing with all of that in my vision.
Well, I can at least speak authoratively to this bit. Google allows one to turn off all notifications of texts, emails, etc and the only advertisements you'll be "forced" to look at would be those embedded in an app you got cos it was "free".

Just like the in-car navigation software I write for Google's Android platform (yes, the same basis that underlies Google Glass ;) ) - it's all a matter of getting what you pay for. If you want it for "free", the company providing the service will make money from you some other way (generally advertising). If you pay for the application/data/service - the likelihood of advertising is diminished immensely. We would never embed advertising in our product but, then again, we'd never give it out for free either. The whole "you get what you pay for" applies even in techno-topias :)
 
#18 ·
yup for racers awesome...if Im cruising the last thing I want is something on my head, making me more sweaty and claustrophobic...I cant even stand wearing sunglasses in the tropic sun...it just does something to my brain...I really cant focus with stuff on my head! jajajajaja

for racing its for sure the future and now!
 
#20 · (Edited)
... Coming into harbor just now we had a tug boat coming the other way in a narrow-ish channel. My 'Glass showed it was the 'Lasy Susan' about to spin my world around. Indeed, the AIS prediction had it passing very close to me in 2 minutes and 20 seconds. I stared at the words 'Lazy Susan' on the Glass and then winked. VFH went live, with his ID already dialed in.

"Lazy Susan, this is the sailing vessel Rag Dryer, off your bow", I said.

About this time I glanced to my port, blinked a long slow blink and brought up the depth overlay, adjusted for the present tide height. It was too shallow to go there. The Active Captain link was working too, as there was an unmarked piling 100 yards off, one of several obstructions in the area. It looked good to the starboard, but it meant backtracking a bit. And he might be headed that way.

"Rag Dryer, Lazy Susan", was the reply. Voice recognition took a second, it's usually pretty slow like that. Finally, up popped the name Vincent Boatsalot, age 42, divorced twice, 3 kids, smoker, failed a drug test back in 05. It was dismissed because he ate a poppy bagel that morning. The retest the next day was fine. No DUIs. Tax payer. Good credit rating. Jets fan.

My 'Glass told me that his 'Glass was looking at me. I can only assume my 'Glass was informing his 'Glass that I was looking at him. (And there was another sailboat in the distance looking at each of us.)

"Are you taking the turn to your port or continuing straight", I said.

"We're going straight; suggest 1 whistle.", was the reply. Those tug drivers are good.

So I glanced up at the autopilot icon and did the usual wink nod and look to the right. The boat immediately changed course.

Then I took a sip of my coffee and went back to listening to my favorite 80s channel. The coffee was good so that I order another pound to be delivered to the marina and twittered how much I liked it. That done, I took another sip.

As the tug passed, I brought up VHF with his ID again and said "Go Jets".

I was surprised at the reply as he said "80s music rocks, Bene505."

Two blinks later and we were following each other on Instagram, so I DVR-ed back a couple minutes, edited the screen shot and posted a picture of his fine ship. He immediately liked it and hash-tagged it for his friends to see, at #tugsunderway.

Then I took another sip, slowed the boat down and left my hammock on the bow to get a refill.

Regards,
Brad
 
#22 · (Edited)
... Coming into harbor just now we had a tug boat coming the other way in a narrow-ish channel. My 'Glass showed it was the 'Lasy Susan' about to spin my world around. Indeed, the AIS prediction had it passing very close to me in 2 minutes and 20 seconds. I stared at the words 'Lazy Susan' on the Glass and then winked. VFH went live, with his ID already dialed in.
Brad here's my preferred version of coming into the harbor.

I check AIS on the plotter and hail the tug on my VHF. We quickly work out the details and wave as we pass. I check out the heron fishing along the shore and take a minute to appreciate how that pretty Alden in the first marina looks in the setting sun.

My cell phone, laptop and tablet are all below and turned off so no one can bother me until Monday.

I take a nice deep sniff of that wonderful salt marsh smell along the shore and ponder a tumbler of Pusser's, one ice cube and a sunset.

I can't much see how Google can improve on that... :D
 
#21 ·
Many good points made here. While I'm not necessarily with the nay sayers here, I would caution, "don't be the first in line". Unless the marine industry can team up with other industries, marine quality HUDs will be too expensive for all save the wealthiest/best sponsored boats.
If the functions displayed can be programmed to those you most need, like a radar/sonar paint of where you are looking or AIS targets that could be where you want to go, then they could be very valuable. But wind speed? How frequently do you need that? And what degree of accuracy? When to put in a reef is a very intuitive, learned process, not done when the apparent wind is 18.6023 kts.
Etc.
John
 
#24 ·
those damn segways, they are not scooters, or wheelchairs they are the utter DORK machine

x2!

I hate them more because I once worked in a restaurant where there was a customer that always RODE into the dining area...making a mess...hitting tables, and everything and his excuse was its like a wheelchair I have the right to do so...

not even my dad who suffered from MD for 30 years ever had this attitude
 
  • Like
Reactions: Markwesti
#30 ·
#32 ·
I think I'll just upload my route waypoints to the cloud and let it interface with you guys' google glasses to get me from here to there without my interference...I'll be in my bunk...
 
#34 ·
The translation with automatic overlay is amazing and makes you wonder if you'll need a chart plotter in the future when it's already built into your eye glasses.
Hell, this stuff makes me wonder whether you'll actually need to go sailing at all :)

If I can add in virtual bikini babes to my foredeck then I'll get a pair, but otherwise I don't really see the point.
I'll take mine with the X-Ray Vision feature, what's the point if you can't see through those bikinis, after all?

Hope they plan to make polarized versions, I'd still need that for sailing in places like the Bahamas... Although, probably by then, Goggle will have charted every single coral head on the planet, anyway, there will be no longer be any need to keep an eye out for the damn things :)

One sentence in that article really jumped out at me, though perhaps those who've never played golf may not appreciate its significance:

Similarly, GolfSight can let you know where you are on a golf course, how far you are from the green, and what hazards are between you and it without having to dive into a phone.
For me, golf has always been a truly mystical game... As a boy, much of my best 'thinking' occurred on the water in a small sailboat, or on a golf course... I simply can't fathom having to pull out an electronic device to obtain a sense of "where I am on a golf course", or what lies between me and the pin...

A read of Michael Murphy's wondrous GOLF IN THE KINGDOM would likely pass right over the heads of those so eager to embrace these sorts of 'advances', different strokes for different folks...

This world continues to pass me by, but that's OK, I still somehow manage to get out there from time to time... :)

Golf is a game to teach you about the message from within, about the
subtle voices of the body-mind. And once you understand them you can
more clearly see your `hamartia', the ways in which you approach to
the game reflects your entire life. Nowhere does a man go so naked.

--Michael Murphy (Golf in the Kingdom)
 
#35 ·
Well, a pretty basic 737 was landed on Cabiniss Field about 4.5 miles from its destination Corpus Christi international. The physical differences between the airports is sufficient that someone looking out the window would say "Uh oh". But the fact remains electronic navigation systems have reduced errors over the last three or four decades, and more is in store.
But for plain old sailboats (POSs?) one of those helmets would be worth more than the boat, so instead of sailing, we would go out computing?
John
 
#36 · (Edited)
But for plain old sailboats (POSs?) one of those helmets would be worth more than the boat, so instead of sailing, we would go out computing?
John
Hey, there's an idea. Instead of going out and getting all wind-blown and salty, we can all sit around the warm, cozy, bar wearing silly helmets and "virtually racing" each other...

Ignoring for a minute the fact that kids everywhere do that now on their parent's iPads - just how stoopid would that be?? Don't answer that.. :)

I mean, instead of formal race protests once everyone is off the water and cooled down a bit we can have immediate punch-ups in the bar... and it's okay to ram other boats because, they're not real anyway so no damage done. Yes, what a great idea.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top