With Google having resuscitated its Glass wearable for the enterprise space via some much needed maintenance, we can start an artificially intelligent dialog about some very interesting progress.
Although the world was under the impression that Google had filled in its Glassholes a year or two back, and had retired its visionary eyewear of the future, nothing could have been further from the truth.
Instead, Google was busily working on refocusing Glass and imbuing it with enterprise class, and has brought a whole series of enterprise customers into view.
Just as Glass sought to pre-emptively see off competitors who didn’t exist when Glass first launched, such as Microsoft’s HoloLens, or Apple’s AR glasses to come, Glass is back, with Dialog Information Technology, a Google Solutions Practice, one of many Google partners doing great work globally, peering through the looking glass into a wonderland of endless possibility.
{loadposition alex08}Indeed, the company is clearly ultra serious about Google, as it “specialises in state of the art Maps, Search, Collaboration and Storage solutions for Enterprise, Federal Government, State Government and Defence. Assisting clients with adoption and integration of Google's leading Maps for Work, Search for Work, Drive Unlimited storage and Collaboration platforms.”
The company even “employs over 1,400 consultants nationally and has offices in every major Australian city,” and has earned the “Google Premier Partner badge” which “recognises partners who excel with Google solutions implementations,” and is a “Google for Work Premier Partner in the Australasia Region” encompassing Australia, New Zealand, Oceania and southern Asia.”
So, it should come as no surprise to hear that Dialog works with some pretty impressive clients, but two of which are the Royal Australian Navy, and the National Trauma Research Institute headquartered at the Alfred Hospital in Victoria.
On top of that, Dialog can proudly boast that it is “the first partner to provide solutions to the Australian Market, with a World-first integration of Alphabet’s Glass Enterprise and Google’s Artificial Intelligence services.”
Royal Australian Navy
Dialog’s engineers reported having working “with the early Glass Enterprise prototypes since May 2016” with the two organisations listed above.
The Navy solution “integrates Glass Enterprise with Google’s Machine Learning APIs (Vision API and Natural Language API) to assist engineers with the Fleet Air Arm’s Helicopter maintenance program,” with a pilot solution “deployed for assessment with the Fleet’s Squirrel helicopters.”
Commander Fleet Air Arm, Commodore Chris Smallhorn noted the hands-free wearable HUD technology, offered by Glass, has the “potential to improve maintenance task efficiency and safety.”
“The technology enables video conferencing with supervisors from the actual location of the maintenance being conducted and enables a maintainer to have both hands free to conduct maintenance tasks, often at height and in difficult to access locations,” said Commodore Smallhorn.
“It is imperative that we, as one of the world’s most capable navies, stay at the forefront of technology and lead the way in researching the best and safest way to deliver our warfare capability.
“The partnership with Dialog has been ground breaking. We haven’t attempted something like this before, but we are committed to being innovative and agile in our operations. We are at the beginning of the program and it is promising.”
The National Trauma Research Institute
In 2017, The National Trauma Research Institute (NTRI) commissioned Dialog Information Technology to “pair the Trauma Reception and Resuscitation (TR&R) System with Glass for Enterprise.”
This project “demonstrated the utility of Glass in Emergency medicine, and allowed clinicians to focus their attention on the patient while using Glass as a device to provide a visual display of the patient's vital signs.”
It also allowed the clinician to “receive auditory cues to conduct life saving interventions initiated by TR&R.”
Project lead at NTRI & Director of Trauma Services at The Alfred Mark Fitzgerald said the glasses have the potential to save thousands of lives across the globe and will enable connectivity in trauma resuscitation that has never been seen before.
The TR&R system gives hospital trauma teams computerised decision support for the first 60 minutes of trauma patient resuscitation. Patient data including vital signs, diagnoses and treatments are entered into the TR&R System directly from a monitor or by the Trauma Nurse Leader.
Based on this data, the system prompts the trauma team in real time to confirm the state of the patient, perform procedures and administer drugs as well as assisting with diagnosing injuries.
Combining TR&R with Google Glass will mean doctors have vital patient information – including heart rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and more - right in front of their eye, without having to leave or look away from the patient.
The glasses also have a camera and 4G+ connectivity, which will enable trauma teams to connect with medical specialists off-site.
The prototype is expected early 2018, with more on the TR&R project here.
Alphabet’s Glass Enterprise page recently announced Dialog as “their first partner in the Australasian region after the launch of Glass Enterprise globally in July.”
Google National Practice Manager, Glenn Irvine, said “These two announcements are the culmination of our work with Alphabet’s X team and some Australian clients to build strong case studies for the new platform. We are very proud of these achievements and the integration with Google’s Cloud Machine Learning capabilities.
“Both of these case studies demonstrate the enterprise worthiness of these wearables, and the progress the Glass product has made in the last few years.”