The revelation of a new patent indicates that Google plans on creating a system by which Google Glass can recommend dance moves to those who wear the high tech device.
In the popular interactive video game "Dance Dance Revolution", users are prompted to make certain dance moves indicated by the program controlling the game. Google apparently plans to bring a similar concept to real life experiences by installing the ability to recommend dance moves to users upon hearing the beats and rhythm of a particular song.
Google has presented a patent, which shows it plans on developing such technology. The patent reads: "The content identification module may provide information associated with a content of the media sample, such as identification of the song and the dance, to the wearable computing system. The wearable computing system may determine dance steps corresponding to the content of the media sample and may generate a display of the dance steps on the HMD [head mounted display]."
That means Google Glass will have an ability to determine what particular song is playing in the background before suggesting dance moves from a possible library of moves stored in its database. The device may also show the user a video of other people dancing to the same song in order to help the user understand what moves he or she should be doing.
Apps like Shazam, SoundHound, and even Apple's Siri digital assistant currently have the ability to name a tune at the request of a user. Google Glass now intends to take it to the next level. Although the patent has been applied for, that doesn't necessarily mean the technology will end up in Google Glass. After the first generation version of the device was considered a misfire, the company stopped selling it, and rumors circulated that the company was planning on scrapping the wearable headset altogether.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt recently affirmed Google's commitment to the device and the technology behind it. The initial research program for Google Glass, called Explorer, was scrapped, but a new unit specifically devoted to the device is currently active. "It is a big and very fundamental platform for Google. We ended the Explorer program and the press conflated this into us cancelling the whole project, which isn't true. Google is about taking risks and there's nothing about adjusting Glass that suggests we're ending it." Schmidt stated.
