Google Glass hockey looks pretty incredible (Video)
First-person views of hockey games have become commonplace as technology has improved. The first leap forward was the Go-Pro camera, which captured everything from a puck’s-eye view of the action to a linesman’s view of the blow-by-blow of a fight.
The next innovation? Google Glass, the innovative eyewear that allows a user to do everything from navigate a trip to surf the Web to film video with a simple voice command.
It might change the way we all live, although they used to say the same thing about the Segway. At worst, it’ll turn us all into the Google Borg. Or Borgle.
How it's integrated into sports will be intriguing. Puckhead Joseph Lallouz decided to play some rec league hockey with Google Glass at City Ice in Long Island City recently, and posted the results on YouTube:
What do you think of hockey through the Google Glass?
The video quality is superb, although it’s about what you get from Go-Pro as well; the difference being that you’re wearing “glasses” rather than strapping a camera somewhere on your helmet. The audio quality is really, really impressive too.
Where could this technology take us in hockey?
Just thinking outside the box here, but digital displays chronicling ice time would be a start. So would some kind of flashing message from the bench asking for the player to come off for a line change. Not to mention the really sexy stuff: Instant targeting evaluations of opposing goaltenders in the shootout, anyone?
("Sid, you've switched off your targeting computer, what's wrong?" "I'm alright ..." "USE THE FORCE SIDNEY ...")
But it’s from a broadcasting standpoint where this stuff could really take off. We’re all headed, as sports fans, to a world in which multiple camera angles and audio feeds will be available digitally for every event. Who’s to say that first-person perspectives from select players during the game – real-time helmet cams – couldn’t eventually become part of that package?
It’ll just be a matter of where you watch it: On your 3D-TV, or on your fancy super glasses that cost $1,500 (!).
