Oct.22, 2013
Google Glass can be difficult to read outdoors in the sunlight. Chris Barrett, a PR rep who is also one of the early Glass Explorers, managed to fix this issue by creating a 3D printed sunshade for Google Glass.
"I realized pretty quickly that the Glass prism projects transparent graphics, which are heavily and easily diluted against sunlight." Barrett says. "Outdoors, I found myself frequently using my thumb to cover the back of the prism, to provide the necessary contrast I needed to see Glass clearly. Indoors, I caught myself turning away from windows and staring at walls, just to see what I was doing."
Barrett figured out what Glass really needs is an accessory that helps it perform in sunlight, the same way we need sunglasses to help us see at the beach. He designed a very basic tiny cover for the prism part of Google Glass. Since Barrett didn't have any hands-on 3D printing knowledge, so he reached out to a 3D printing studio in Philadelphia to develop and print a prototype.
After three prototypes, Sunshade 1.0 was born. It allows Google Glass working pretty well in the sunlight, in addition, it hides the prism from people's sight.
"The more I used my own Sunshade, the more I realized its hidden potential. When I first received Glass, before I developed Sunshade, people would notice the prism's light and frequently stop me to ask questions. Sometimes it's fun to chat with strangers, but (many) other times it's not. Sunshade conceals Glass' light, so now, when I'm wearing Glass in public, I attract a lot less attention. In the future, with more and more people wearing Google Glass, covering the bright light will likely become a fundamental part of Glass etiquette. With Sunshade, speakers at conferences won't be distracted by 1000s of bright lights in the audience. Your boss won't suspect you of checking your email while you're in a meeting either. Without the obvious light, Glass will become almost as discreet as an ordinary pair of glasses."
The sunshade's code is available for download, so anyone can print his or her own Sunshade. You can also order one printed at ShapeWays for just $2.54.
"I believe that, when Google Glass is finally released to the public, Sunshades will be as popular as Ray-Bans," Barrett says.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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Hi Chris, I'm a glass explorer myself and I'm wondering if you have worked out the code required to print extra 3D shades themselves? Thanks, Ben
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