Android Auto: Google is working on navigation notifications via smart glasses
Smart glasses for navigation instead of head-up display or infotainment display. Corresponding references have been discovered in Google's Android Auto.
Smart glasses could soon be used as a replacement for heads-up displays via Android Auto.
(Image: North/Google)
Google is preparing to enter the smart glasses market – at least that's what hints in the Android Auto code suggest. They could be used as a kind of head-up display on the nose while driving.
As Android Authority reports, it should be possible to display navigation instructions in the glasses directly in the driver's field of vision.
Android Auto: Navigation instructions apparently soon via smart glasses
Instead of looking at the screen of the infotainment system in the car, drivers could soon receive navigation instructions directly via smart glasses, according to code snippets from the Android Auto APK. The function is intended to help drivers keep their eyes on the road instead of having to keep looking at the infotainment screen to navigate using Google Maps.
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Car manufacturers already offer solutions such as head-up displays or information on the screen behind the steering wheel, but these options are not available in all vehicles. Google seems to be aware of this.
According to Android Authority authors Pranob Mehrotra and AssembleDebug, the feature is still at an early stage of development. One of the discovered text fragments in the code specifically mentions the function: "To display navigation on smart glasses, start navigation."
BMW has been experimenting with smart glasses in cars for years
Based on the code fragments, it is clear that Google is experimenting with extending navigation instructions from Android Auto to smart glasses. However, all sorts of things are still unclear. For example, it is uncertain which smart glasses can be used to implement the feature. It is also not certain when or if the function will be released.
In view of the fact that Google has also developed Android XR for smart glasses, it is quite conceivable that future models with the operating system will be supported first. Samsung, among others, is working on AR glasses based on Android XR. Google also seems to be making progress with the development of its own glasses – At least the manufacturer recently demonstrated some smart glass functions live on stage – but still with a prototype.
AR in the car is not entirely new, however: BMW subsidiary Mini already demonstrated in 2015 how additional information can be displayed directly in the driver's field of vision using AR glasses. Most recently, the car manufacturer presented a demo at CES 2024 in which the driver receives enhanced content such as navigation or traffic information via smart glasses.
(kbe)
