Google is giving $25,000 grants and Google Glass devices to five nonprofit groups. Google is also providing training and support to help the organizations realize the projects they envision for Glass.
The Giving through Glass competition began in April. Nonprofit organizations detailed their plans for how they would use Google Glass to help and inspire people. More than 1,300 submissions were received, but Google narrowed the field down to five winners: 3000 Miles to a Cure, Classroom Champions, The Hearing and Speech Agency, Mark Morris Dance Group and Women's Audio Mission.
"We believe technology can help nonprofits make a difference more easily, and connect people to the causes they care about," says Google in a statement.
3000 Miles to a Cure will raise money for brain cancer research and increase awareness through the Race Across America, where cyclists ride from California to Maryland. 3000 Miles to a Cure will provide a live feed of a rider's view, and the rider will be able to see donations and messages of support as they come in.
Classroom Champions will use Google Glass to record the perspectives of Paralympic athletes as they train and compete in various events. The footage will be used in classroom presentations that seek to help kids learn empathy. Classroom Champions attempts to show kids what people with disabilities can do instead of focusing on what they can't.
The Hearing and Speech Agency is planning on using Glass to assist those suffering from hearing loss or difficulty with speech and language. For example, Google Glass could analyze the sound of a person's voice and convert it to text which displays on the screen.
The Mark Morris Dance Group helps those with Parkinson's Disease maintain control of their body. The group wants to develop an app for Google Glass that will help patients trigger body movements as they go about their lives.
Women's Audio Mission will provide Google Glass to instructors. The organization uses music and visual media to support programs for women and girls in fields such as science, engineering, and math. Women's Audio Mission provides courses both in person and online that will use media recorded by Google Glass.
