The next Google Glass could possibly allow its wearer to take pictures not with the click of a button but by simply making a frame with ones fingers around the object they want to take a picture of.
While Google has made no mention of its Google Glass plans just yet, a new patent awarded to Google by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) shows Mountain View is working on a "head-mountable device" (HMD) that tracks where its user places his fingers in a frame formation to capture images.
"An HMD may analyze image data from a point-of-view camera on the HMD and detect when a wearer holds their hands in front of their face to frame a subject in the wearer's field of view," the patent says. "Further, the HMD may detect when the wearer withdraws their hands from such a frame formation and responsively capture an image."
According to the patent, the HMD, which is of course believed to be the next-generation Google Glass, will be equipped with sensors that will be looking out for when fingers take a frame formation to take pictures.
Additionally, the device can also recognize when its wearer wants to take different image shapes. For instance, when the users puts out their fingers in a familiar director's frame, the device takes a landscape photo. And when the hands are placed side by side with the palms facing each other, the HMD takes it to mean that the user wants a portrait photo. And if the user makes a ring with their thumb and index finger, it will take a circular photo that is perfect for changing their profile picture in Google+.
The original Google Glass was largely panned for giving its users the ability to walk around in public taking discreet pictures of whatever or whomever they like. While this new patent, if it will indeed be used for the next pair of smart eyeglasses from Google, will still make taking pictures as awkward as before, at least it will stop creeps from taking secret pictures of people without their knowledge. Also, taking pictures with ones fingers has an element of sci-fi that makes this new technology kind of cool.
Google has remained mum about any plans on unleashing a second Google Glass, but a new FCC filing spotted last week shows that a new Google device with model name GG1 is in the works, giving rise to speculations that the device could indeed be the Google Glass on a comeback mission.
