Rapid Prototyping: The Key to Innovation and Google Glass

In the world of innovation, speed is everything. Rapid prototyping offers a powerful method to accelerate the creation process, turning ideas into tangible realities in record time. This approach was instrumental in the development of Google Glass, demonstrating the transformative potential of quickly building and testing concepts.

The Power of Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping is all about learning through doing. Instead of spending months in theoretical planning, this method encourages building a basic version of your idea as quickly as possible. This allows for immediate feedback and iterative improvements, drastically shortening the innovation cycle.

Google Glass: A Case Study

When faced with the challenge of prototyping Google Glass, the team embraced rapid prototyping. Instead of lengthy design and engineering phases, they created a functional prototype in just one day.

The Coat Hanger Solution

The initial Google Glass prototype was surprisingly low-tech. It consisted of:

• A coat hanger, bent to fit around the neck and chest.
• A piece of plexiglass with a sheet protector.
• A pico projector connected to a Netbook.

This makeshift setup allowed the team to experience digital overlays on the physical world, move around with the technology, and test various software ideas.

Overcoming Interaction Challenges

With a working prototype, new challenges emerged. How would users interact with Google Glass without traditional input methods like a mouse, keyboard, or touchscreen?

The Minority Report Experiment

The team explored gesture-based control, inspired by the movie Minority Report. To quickly test this concept, they devised another ingenious prototype using:

• Hairbands
• Fishing line
• A whiteboard
• Chopsticks
• A presentation clicker

By attaching hairbands to their hands and connecting them to a system that triggered a presentation clicker, they simulated the experience of controlling software with hand gestures. This 45-minute experiment revealed the social awkwardness and ergonomic challenges of this interaction method, leading the team to reconsider its inclusion in the final product.

"Doing is the Best Kind of Thinking"

This experience highlighted a crucial principle of rapid prototyping: "doing is the best kind of thinking." Hands-on experimentation provides invaluable insights that theoretical planning simply cannot replicate.

Comfort and Wearability

Another critical aspect of headset displays is comfort. Many existing designs were uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. To address this, the team used:

• Modeling wire
• Paper
• Clay

They created a model of glasses, using clay to simulate the weight of electronic components. By experimenting with different weight distributions, they discovered that:

• The nose is highly sensitive to weight.
• Ears can support more weight than the nose.

Positioning weight behind the ears allowed them to leverage the ear as a fulcrum, reducing pressure on the nose and significantly improving comfort. This discovery even has implications for traditional glasses design.

Two Types of Learning: Book Learning vs. Expansive Learning

Rapid prototyping fosters a unique type of learning, which can be called expansive learning. While traditional education provides a foundation of existing knowledge, expansive learning involves creating new knowledge and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. This type of learning isn't limited to scientists with advanced instruments; it's accessible to anyone who dares to experiment, create, and innovate.

Rapid prototyping empowers individuals to explore the infinite realm of possibilities, build upon human knowledge, and discover new insights in both ancient and modern technologies. By embracing this method, anyone can accelerate their innovation process and bring their ideas to life.