Google caused quite a stir in 2012 when they announced work on their new piece of technology called Google Glass.

Google Glass is essentially a wearable computer. It displays information to the user through voice commands.

Trinity University, specifically the AT&T Center for Learning and Technology, decided to go ahead and get an early version of the Google Glass to experiment with and test so that they can make a judgment on whether to get it in bulk when it is mass produced for public use.

CLT is using Google Glass to get a feel for its capabilities. Aaron Delwiche, associate professor of communication, requested and received one to begin coding it and doing research with the technology.

Director of CLT Rob Chapman is very knowledgeable on the subject of Google Glass and has a lot of experience working with the device. He discussed why Trinity got the device and what it plans to do with it.

“Right now we’ve mostly been using it for video and pictures, but we plan to expand the use as we grow comfortable with it. We try to get the latest radical technology because we want to use the latest methods of computing,” Chapman said. “Technology that you can wear seems to be on the rise, so we try to get latest wearables because they’re really great technology, too. We bring it in before it has been released to the general public so that we can test it out and then let the school know if we should invest in them or not.”

Delwiche spoke about the general use of Google Glass.

“Right now it is only used by a relatively small and non-representative group of people. These people are mostly using it for taking pictures because you get great shots and can get amazing close up shots that would otherwise be impossible,” Delwiche said.

Mark Lewis, professor of computer science, also took great interest in the technology. He discussed future potential for the device and the impact that it could have.

“Right now you can theoretically do all of your messaging on it, but it is difficult and oftentimes too much of a problem to be worth it. However, once they begin tweaking it with the newer generations, they should fix that,” Lewis said. “One could possibly answer all their messages and do research from a worn device. This would go along with the high quality video and pictures that can already be taken.”

Delwiche believes Google Glass has great potential, and with some modifications the device should become more user-friendly.

“The interface is a little confusing and not that seamless right now, but it will likely get there eventually. It’s not great if you have prescription lenses, but the newer generations are working on fixing that,” Delwiche said. “Overall, it has incredible potential, and I’m very excited to see where it can go in the future.”