Photograph by Christophe Wu for Google

"Something like this has never been created before," says Steve Lee (pictured, left), one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business and the production atomic number 82 for Google's Project Glass–the company is developing the futuristic eyeware at its secretive X lab. Much has been written about the project, but few details virtually the device itself take emerged outside concept designs and video.

Following Google's announcement of Projection Glass, Fast Company talked extensively with Lee to learn more almost how his team is turning this work of science-fiction into a reality.

FAST Visitor: We've seen what you envision Glass becoming, only what can the electric current prototype actually practice correct at present? How long is information technology abroad from being market place-ready?

STEVE LEE: I tin can't speak to specific product release timelines, because quite bluntly, we don't actually know [when information technology will be ready]. But I can say that we definitely didn't put out that video with the intention of it being some futuristic video that'south many, many years away. In terms of what's running on the device right now, several of those things that y'all see in the video, we do have prototype versions of those. And then Maps is one example: You tin see a Map of where you're at, and search for a nearby restaurant. That certainly exists on the device, and it's my hope that nosotros'll be able to deliver on several or many of the other things that are in that video–possibly some other things likewise.

Personally, I view Glass as more than just a geo-production. The photo-taking feel, nosotros think, is really a cardinal aspect to this. But besides the mapping and navigation and location services will really bring a new blazon of experience on this device.

It'south very early though. There'due south no incertitude we're going to acquire a lot more over the ensuing months that'll affect the product development, feature priorities, and so forth. I can definitely say as a product manager and someone who is execution-oriented, I wouldn't be on this project if it was like a v-yr try. We did non want to create a "Google in 2019" video. Most of the things in the video are things that nosotros've prototyped, or are of our existing Google services. The large challenge is getting them to work well on this new form factor.

An earlier study from The New York Times indicated Drinking glass would proceed auction by the yr'southward stop, for between $250 and $600. Is this true?

I don't know where that information came from. I tin can but say that that'southward pretty aggressive timing. Information technology's really a challenging project, and even if we accept some of the software from the video running on the device, at that place's so many other engineering and technical and manufacturing challenges. What was provided in that commodity didn't come from our team.

Tell me almost building the prototype. How many iterations did you go through earlier this one?

Depends on how exactly you lot ascertain a prototype, but at least dozens if not hundreds–certainly hundreds of variations and dozens of prototypes.

Of class, historically Google has done software and Internet [products] and things like that. This is somewhat of a new foray for united states of america into hardware–and non but hardware, only things you wearable on your face up! It's true that Google doesn't accept a lot of manufacturing experience, just no ane in the world has a lot of manufacturing feel [with something like this]. So there are all kinds of new challenges and issues that are new to the majority of us, though nosotros do take some people who have been doing these types of projects for decades. But our process is really nearly building rapid prototypes.

I mean, I had no previous feel with clothing computers beyond, like, a watch. Then from day one, I started putting these devices onto my confront and understanding the ergonomics and the social factors and comfort issues across but what kind of cool functions we could add to the organisation.

Could you describe the early on iterations?

Yous've probably seen pictures from the MIT Media Research Lab or other clothing computers historically. More often than not speaking, they are large, sometimes at that place is a haversack involved. That's the kind of thing I was wearing initially. [At first] nosotros just threw a laptop into a backpack and that was the computing ability. Of course, with other prototypes, nosotros tried to put the computing power into the device itself. We've tried prototypes where at that place are cables running from the device that'southward on your head downwards to a control box or to your phone.

Then y'all were running around Google's campus with this backpack and glasses on?

That'south why our announcement was then momentous for our team. Because until then, for our testing, we had to keep it confidential and within the confines of our role edifice. And trust me, that'south frustrating. Imagine you were trying to invent a GPS sportswatch simply couldn't become outside and utilise it while running or biking! We appear publicly the existence of the project, because: ane, we wanted feedback; and two, we wanted to start testing this in real-globe scenarios.

Now, the paradigm that we showed–and that Sergey [Brin] has been photographed wearing [Ed note: And Sebastian Thrun]–I've personally been wearing information technology everyday out in the real world. I fifty-fifty took it into a San Francisco bar to test out that social situation.

Nosotros all know what happens to new, secret products at bars in San Francisco.

Well, first and foremost, I didn't go out them behind! I was actually meeting a agglomeration of friends there. I'd been working on this project for a long fourth dimension, and for the first time in my career, I couldn't really talk almost my project with my friends. So they were curious. But with other groups of people, I would walk from my car to the bar and dorsum to my automobile–running into a agglomeration of people–and literally no one said anything. Information technology didn't seem similar people noticed.

I've found in my limited observations and then far, the vast majority of people don't fifty-fifty notice it. When I went running on this rail, for example, a woman there was like 5 feet from me. We were having a conversation, and she didn't blink an eye. But I've walked effectually the streets of San Francisco, and I encountered some people who do a double-take.

The ultimate goal here is to serve everyone and make this is a universal device. So that means people that article of clothing eyeglasses, or tend to wear sunglasses or contacts, or people who have perfect eyesight. That's a really hard trouble–to adapt everyone. Withal, nosotros've prototyped lots of unlike grade factors to arrange all those folks.

Will this technology one solar day exist on contacts?

I mean, that's definitely a long-term matter. At this point, information technology seems like a natural evolution. Certainly if you make the applied science invisible, a lot of people would say that's attractive. Only maybe instead of that perspective, yous could argue that something like this could exist thought of like jewelry–something that is bold and prominent. Something a person wearing it is proud of. In that case, you wouldn't desire it to be invisible–you desire to bear witness it off, like, Hey! I'm part of the future.

Obviously the latter [perspective] is a challenge. It's risky. Is it iconic and cool, or iconic and geeky?

Do y'all guys look to sci-fi books and movies for inspiration?

To a certain extent. Some people on the team are total sci-fi geeks. Personally what I try to bring to the team is actually somewhat of a reality bank check. Because a lot of the sci-fi books and movies speak to augmented reality and how you have a display that overlays the entire globe that'south immersive. I think, long term, that is where the engineering science will head. Simply that'southward actually not what we're going for right at present.

Are there some brainstormed ideas you lot consider too sci-fi?

Nosotros evaluate each idea on a number of dimensions. First is technical feasibility: If information technology can't exist washed in a reasonable fourth dimension frame, then nix else really matters. Other dimensions are user acceptance and societal acceptance. This is a challenge

because in some ways, since this is a wholly new class cistron and device, nosotros want to innovate and bring whole new ways for people to interact with it. So we don't desire to be agape of introducing new concepts to people.

Only at the aforementioned time, if we get overboard or brand poor decisions, that could accept negative consequences in terms of how early users of this could be perceived past other people, and how they experience near using information technology. It'southward a really frail residue, simply it'southward certainly another really important gene regarding whether to bring a particular characteristic or technology to the image.

Watch for the second part of this interview afterward this calendar week.