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22 | 17th - 23rd OctOber 2014 | UtILItY WeeK Operations & Assets Market view I n its drive to deliver safer and smarter ways of working, Morrison Utility Services (MUS) is constantly looking for real world applications that can improve the efficiency and quality of its customer service. As part of this drive, the company's busi- ness process and systems team is looking at the ways in which MUS field workers could use Google Glass to access data and feed it back to improve operational efficiency and health and safety. Google Glass is the latest example of wearable technology: clothing or accesso- ries that incorporate computer technologies and electronic device functionalities. For most of us, the most obvious early example of wearable technology would be the calcu- lator watch of the 1980s, but it's fair to say that things have moved on since then – a good example being the increasingly popular smartwatches featuring all manner of mobile apps as well as phone, GPS and camera functionality. Google Glass, however, is a little different. It doesn't sit on your wrist, but is worn on your head. Google is pitching its Glass as a hands-free, easy-to-use alternative to smart- phones and the technology clearly shares an element of its design and function DNA with smartphone devices. By connecting wirelessly to a mobile phone, Glass users can access and send email, browse and post online and capture and upload photos and video footage. Google Glass is worn as a pair of glasses but with one distinct difference – an optical head-mounted display that sits above the right eye. This projects a transparent display that creates the illusion of a 25in screen float- ing approximately 8 in front of the user's right eye, which can be used to show infor- mation from apps. A built-in, hands-free camera enables the capture of 5MP photos and 720p HD video footage, while the device can also play back audio by sending vibrations through the wearer's skull using a bone conduction transducer, or via conventional headphones. Glass is controlled either by voice com- mand or a thin strip known as the "touch- pad" located on the right-hand side of the frame. Swiping through a timeline-like inter- face displayed on the screen enables users to view "current events" such as GPS naviga- tion and weather, as well as "past events" such as call history and photos. Prescription lenses can be fitted for Google Glass users who already wear spectacles. Google's stance is that Glass delivers "information when you want it, how you want it, without having to disengage from life". As with any emerging technology, there are strengths and weaknesses. On the plus side, the design is slick and comfortable to wear and the hands-free functionality has the potential to deliver new levels of practi- cality. On the downside, battery life is poor and the number of available apps is limited, although this will change. It's also expensive. Of course, experience tells us that an early version of any new technology should be judged not on what it offers today, but rather the possibilities it can present tomor- row. Although the potential for Glass to flour- ish is considerable, its real potential will be unlocked only as more apps are created. At present, with only around 50 apps available, the Glass ball is bouncing firmly on the developers' side of the court. This, undoubtedly, is where Google needs it to be – in the hands of the people capable of developing the apps to make the Glass expe- rience bigger, broader and better. Google is actively encouraging developers to create Glass enterprise apps aimed at spe- cific industry sectors. Somewhat predictably, the healthcare sector has been among the frontrunners looking to explore the opportu- nities that Glass could present. Work is underway to assess how the sys- tem could be used to record surgery from a first-person point of view for training pur- poses and to provide surgeons with hands- free access to critical clinical diagnosis information, including a patient's vital signs throughout a surgical procedure. The leisure industry has also moved fast to embrace Glass, with several museums and cultural institutions looking at how the head-mounted display could act as a virtual tour guide. The big question for the utility sector is whether Glass has the potential to revolu- tionise the way we work. The feeling at MUS is that it could prove instrumental in intro- ducing new operational innovations and efficiencies that will enable smarter, safer working practices. The MUS business process and systems team is already exploring a number of pos- sible applications for Glass. An interface between Glass and the company's work management system (Isis) has already been established and the team is optimistic that the emergence of Glass will make the capture of real-time work updates, including photos, barcodes and critical job information, even easier. Glass could emerge as a viable alterna- tive to the rugged laptops, tablets and smart- phones deployed by Morrison Utility Services since 2011. With 3G and Wi-Fi functionality, as well as built-in cameras, the use of mobile devices has proved a huge success, enabling access to centralised business applications and Through the looking glass Could utilities' field workers find their daily tasks transformed by the use of Google Glass? Andy Carter investigates the current limitations and the potential scope of this wearable technology. Morrison Utility Services believes technology such as Google Glass could eventually lead to safer, smarter working practices