It appears that science fiction has overcome reality when things such as a doctor carrying out a surgery with the help of smartglasses take place in our daily routine. The augmented reality technology used by Dr. Pierre Theodore to simultaneously perform a surgery and view a patient's X-rays, in order to remove fluid from a deflated lung, was Google Glass, which is basically a head-mounted computer equipped with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, camera, and voice activation, that enables users to have both hands free all the time.

Field of action

As the previous example showed, smartglasses have the potential to enhance work efficiency in a wide range of areas including field service, manufacturing, healthcare, and retails, informed the research firm Gartner. These wearable devices may also help industries increase profits considerably.

"Smartglasses with augmented reality technology and head-mounted cameras can increase the efficiency of technicians, engineers, and other workers in field service, maintenance, healthcare, and manufacturing roles," explained Gartner Research Director Angela McIntyre. "The greatest savings in field service will come from diagnosing and fixing problems more quickly and without needing to brig additional experts to remote sites."

Among the multiples benefits that smartglasses can provide to workers, we can find How-to-do instructions and illustrations which enable them to perform tasks although they may not remember complete and complex procedures.

A glimpse to the future

The research firm expects that the number of enterprises using smartglasses will increase by 10 percent throughout the next five years, especially for companies with offsite workers like inspectors or service personnel. The mayor impact of these wearable devices is expected on heavy industry, such as oil, gas, and manufacturing, for the augmented reality glasses enhance on-the-job training of employees in how to fix specific equipment and carry on manufacturing tasks. On the other hand, adoption of this type of augmented reality technology is predicted to be slow, since the benefits it provides depend deliberately on the services and apps targeted at smartglasses.

Google Glasses have the appearance of reading spectacles, are controlled through voice commands, and posses all the attributes of any smartphone: users are able to send text messages, make calls, and conduct video chats. Furthermore, the wearable devices are equipped with an inbuilt camera which allows their owners to take pictures and record video.

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