On one end, we have the Brillo, the company’s operating
system for connected home appliances. It’s basically a customized version of
Android that’s meant for devices at home that’s internet-enabled. The OS will
utilize Google’s own language for connected devices called Weave in order to
allow communication among devices.
Google is planning to make the Brillo and Weave
cross-platform and modular, which should give users the flexibility to choose
whether or not their homes will use the language or not.
On the other end, there’s an updated VR headset – Cardboard
2, which now supports different smartphone models (including an iPhone). The
new headset will go hand in hand with Google’s Jump and Expedition platforms,
which are both designed to create and deliver VR content to consumers.
Google Jump will make use of special camera rigs, like the one created
by GoPro that captures 360 degrees video with the use of 16 cameras. The Jump
software will assemble and stitch the video coming from the cameras in order to
create a single video that will be played on the Cardboard 2 VR headset or any
other platform (like YouTube) that plays VR videos.
Then there’s Google Expedition, which uses a set of Cardboard VR
headsets to bring virtual reality tours to classrooms. The system will make use
of an Android tablet that will be controlled by a teacher and a set of
Cardboard headsets which students will use in order to view certain
environments.
Google is currently working with different organizations including
museums and groups like the Planetary Society, the Chateau de Versailles, the
Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History.
