Summary: This article examines both the optical workings of Google Glass, as well as the societal implications of the widespread use of 'such a device. After a history of optical breakthroughs in HUDs, the technical masterpiece that is Google Glass is coming under scrutiny. The rest of the time is spent discussing the possibility of using Google Glass as a surveillance tool. The issue is first examined from the perspective that the government and its spy agencies are the ones carrying out the surveillance, using Google Glass as a tool to monitor the unsuspecting user. Then, the question is re-examined, focusing on the power relationship that is established between an individual wearing Google Glass and another man or woman who does not wear the device. The main theme of these discussions is the invasion of privacy and the place of Google Glass as a revolutionary product. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Have you ever felt like you were being watched? Most people don't do it anymore. The truth is that they are always being watched and they have simply gotten used to it. Curiosity kills the cat, but surveillance monitors its actions, documents all findings, and sells the information to the government or private companies. Sales of George Orwell's oft-quoted but rarely read seminal novel "1984" soared after the shocking revelation that the NSA was spying on its own citizens. Suddenly, people became aware of the extent to which they were being monitored, from their online activities to their spending habits. In a miraculous coincidence of timing, Google's latest technology effort, Google Glass, has entered the final stages of research and development. Google Glass is not just another fancy electronic gadget, but the first step in a direction that could eventually change our perceived limits and uses of technology in general, as well as create an entirely new branch of technology: wearable technology . While realizing unique optical applications, the very existence and wide availability of Google Glass leads us to re-examine the morality of using wearable technology in addition to redefining power relations in surveillance. Google Glass is inspired by an electro-optical screen called HUD. A HUD (Heads Up Display) is essentially a transparent display that presents data without requiring the viewer to look away from their usual viewpoint. HUDs were originally developed for military use because they allowed fighter pilots to view and process information much more quickly, allowing them to make faster, more informed decisions during a flight. The basic HUDs developed and used in the 1950s were refractive optical systems. In this optical configuration, the CRT image is collimated by a combination of refractive lens elements. These elements have been designed to provide a very accurate display over a reasonable field of view. In order to be more practical, an internal mirror is used to fold the optical system to reduce its physical bulk. The HUD contains a combiner glass, which is a flat, semi-transparent plate designed to reflect approximately 25% of the collimated light from the CRT and transmit approximately 70% of the actual luminance. (Wood and Howells)Once HUDs were widely used in military fighter aircraft as gun sights, pilot firing wasbecome much more precise. However, one of the unexpected results of integrating HUDs was that pilots were increasingly able to fly their aircraft in general. Optical designers realized the potential market for commercial aircraft, and in the late 1970s they looked for ways to improve the system. A necessary refinement was to increase the total display as well as the instantaneous field of view. This led to the development of reflective optical systems. As in the original refractive system, the displayed image is generated on a small cathode ray tube approximately 3 inches in diameter. The new reflective system is essentially two separate but distinct optical subsystems. The first is a relay lens assembly designed to reimage the CRT image source into an intermediate aerial image. This image is located at a focal distance from the collimator element. The second optical subsystem is the combiner element which re-image and collimate the intermediate aerial image for viewing by the pilot. As in refractive systems, the pilot's eyes focus on optical infinity, looking through the combiner to see the virtual image. To prevent the driver's head from blocking the rays going from the relay lens to the combiner, the combiner is tilted off-axis. The off-axis angle of the combiner, although required for image viewing reasons, significantly increases optical aberrations within the system, which must be compensated for in the relay lens to have an accurate virtual display. (Wood and Howells) Nearly sixty-four years after the first practical application of a HUD system, we have experienced the next major product development of Google Glass. Although Glass is still a heads-up display, significant adaptations and advancements have been made to previous generations of HUDs. In 2011, Google unveiled an 8-pound prototype, developed by Google X. Last year, in 2013, when it was released to consumers, it was lighter than an average pair of sunglasses. Google Glass contains the fundamental building blocks of any computer, including a processor, sensors such as GPS, speakers, a microphone and a battery, plus a tiny projector and a prism that redirects light onto your retina . Each component is carefully integrated into the frame. While still technically a HUD device, Google Glass has simplified all the defining features of a HUD and utilized (and sometimes revolutionized) modern technology by condensing everything. There is a battery in the glasses frame that powers the processor. In the main compartment, where the technical aspects are stored, there are speakers, a microphone, a camera and a projector. The glass cube rests in the upper right corner of the wearer's field of vision so as not to obstruct vision. This glass slide displays information, just like old HUDs, and contains a prism that redirects light toward the wearer's eye. According to Google's official website for Google Glass, looking at the screen is equivalent to looking at a 25-inch high-definition screen from a distance of eight feet. In reality, the prism projector has a resolution of 640 x 360 and takes up as much of your vision as a quarter to six inches of your eye. (Google Glass Official Site)Now that we have discussed both the history of HUDs in general, as well as the specific optical components of Google Glass, it now seems time to examine its technological capabilities. From a hardware perspective, Google Glass comes with 16GB of internal storage and is powered by a TI OMAP 4430 processor and 1GB of RAM. Without installing additional applications,capabilities are somewhat limited, but impressive nonetheless. Using Glass, one can search for information on Google, like on a web browser, listen to music through Google Play, make phone calls, send and receive text messages, use it as a GPS, take photos, record videos, broadcast live videos. to anyone in your contacts, receive news alerts, post comments on Facebook or Twitter and a myriad of other social media sites, as well as start a hangout in Google+. Of course, these are just basic uses. Once developers start writing apps, the potential of Google Glass is limitless. Of course, it is precisely this potential that concerns both policymakers and the average citizen. In addition to the worrying trend of integrating technology into every aspect of our daily lives, individuals are concerned about the surveillance aspects of such a device. Google has tried to maintain its stance on valuing the importance of privacy by making it pretty obvious every time someone tries to take a photo or video. The user must first say the words "OK Glass, take a photo" audibly and people around the user will see the screen light up. However, even though the product is only in beta development, hackers have already discovered ways to bypass Google's restrictions. Hacker Stephen Balaban is already building an alternative operating system that runs on Glass but is not controlled by Google. Some specific hacks are incredibly intrusive into individuals' privacy. One of these tweaks adds facial recognition technology to Google Glass. Another allows an individual to take a photo simply by blinking their right eye. Two graduate students at California Polytechnic created an app called Malnotes and described it as a simple note-taking app for Glass. However, the app actually took a photo every fifteen seconds and uploaded those images to the internet without the user or anyone around them knowing. Perhaps the scariest thing is that a hacker has developed a QR code that can hack Google Glass remotely. A QR code is simply a black and white image usually used by advertisers to allow individuals to visit their website by taking a photo of the code, without having to search for it manually. However, this particular QR code developed by the hacker is linked to a malicious virus that installs malware on Google Glass. If a person is tricked into taking a photo of the QR code, their bezel will be invaded by spyware without the user's knowledge. Once this malware is installed, the hacker has full control over the Glass. He can access the livestream functionality at any time and view the wearer's private life. The hacker will have the ability to see you enter your passwords for different sites, enter your ATM access code, see your credit card number, enter gate codes, take photos of your keys and record what you write using a pen. and paper. Nothing is safe once Glass is hacked. (Greenberg) While this security breach is alarming in itself, it becomes doubly so when you consider the government's tendency to use "unconventional" methods to gather information. Last year, former CIA employee Edward Snowden informed major international media that the NSA (National Security Agency) was spying on American citizens domestically..