Report: Tesla Is Using Google Glass To Build Cars Better

Report: Tesla Is Using Google Glass To Build Cars Better

Google Glass has thus far been a flop for regular people doing normal things. But for more boring tasks enhancing productivity and increasing profit, there’s still promise. A report from Electrek claims that Tesla is using the new Enterprise Edition headsets at its Fremont factory.

Image credit: APX via Electrek

The report joins a few dots to conclude that Tesla is using Glass to help workers at its factory. The most persuasive is that APX Labs, a company that designs software for smart glasses, lists Tesla as one of its main customers. Add that to the image above — previously posted on APX’s website, clearly showing some kind of smart glasses being used in a Tesla factory — and it’s a reasonably convincing argument. From the photo, it looks like Glass is serving as a glorified hands-free inventory management system for workers on the shop floor.

After the initial failure of Google Glass to conquer the everyday consumer, Google’s doubled down on its potential benefits for companies. The upcoming version of Glass is internally referred to as the “Enterprise Edition“, and retains the same form factor with a few component and design tweaks.

Just because real companies are starting to experiment with Glass, it doesn’t mean the concept has finally become good. The Enterprise Edition fails to fix many of the things wrong with the first Glass — privacy concerns, limited functionality, and godawful battery life, to name a few. But equally, the first failure of an experimental product isn’t a reason to write off the concept entirely.

[Electrek]


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