Google Glass devs working on an audio based wearable

Google Glass hasn’t been the big game changer that some had hoped for, but Google isn’t giving up on smart wearable idea just yet. Project Aura, the division behind Google Glass, is said to be working on at least three new wearables prototypes, which function with and without the use of a visual display.

According to The Information, one of the new headsets in development relies solely on audio to transfer information to the wearer. It’s not clear if this will be hugely different from regular or Bluetooth headphones, but Google is said to be incorporating its bone conduction technology from Glass into the design.

The wearable is tipped for the sports market and might not want to interfere with sound from the outside world, so a bone conduction based design would make a lot of sense here. Google also recently hired a number of engineers that were laid off from Amazon’s Lab126 division, many of which are experts in the field of audio.

The other two wearable gadgets are targeted at the enterprise market and are expected to feature slightly more typical screens to display information to the wearer. We don’t know how many of these products will make it to market, but the team is looking to make a release of some sort next year.