Google Glass met a lot of resistance for a number of reasons when it first debuted in the market, but it’s had a place in enterprise environments since its inception, and that role is the one it’s playing ever since then. A number of big-name companies like General Electric and Boeing are currently testing Google’s smart glasses, and one company in particular — the Georgia-based AGCO — uses it extensively and has given the media a bit of insight into what it’s done for their business. The headsets are mainly used on the factory floor, where they can provide information, note-taking functions, and communication without a worker having to leave their station or pull out a handheld device that could get in the way of their work or get damaged.
The camera on the Google Glass got the headset a lot of flack when it debuted several years back, with people saying that it could be used to record others without their knowing, even going as far as to ban it in many locations. At AGCO, however, the Google Glass camera is used to identify parts and pull up relevant instructions and notes from other employees on the go. The always listening microphone of the device was subject to similar criticism from consumers, but that feature can be used to issue voice commands and communicate between workers on the factory floor. According to AGCO’s Peggy Gullick, the gadget has allowed their quality checking process to be 20-percent faster on average.
When Google Glass first landed, it didn’t take long for consumers to start getting worried about people using it in public, but it also didn’t take long for the enterprise crowd to see various potential applications of the wearable. Individuals and businesses alike have gone on to find all sorts of uses for Glass, including hacking it to ennoble it with functions that Google never intended for the wearable. While Glass may not have a place in the consumer market in its current form, it has apparently been enjoying a strong following in the enterprise segment for a while now and is showing no signs of slowing down in that regard.