For over two years, Google Glass explorers have been using wearable to capture moments in everyday life as tech companies work to develop apps that could enhance life on Earth. But now, Google Glass is set to take off into space for to be used for otherworldly things.
The device is part of a SpaceX cargo launch to the International Space Station set to take off on Dec. 19 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission, originally meant to launch today, was postponed so that crews could have more time to prepare everything on the ground to ensure a successful launch, according to a blog post on NASA’s website.
The primary objective of the mission, though has to do with a study of flatworms and how they regenerate. Scientists at the Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology at Tufts University are looking to observe the effect that gravity has on tissue regeneration, which scientists hope could aid in the development of medicine in the biomedical industry to treat physical injuries.
Though the devices have the distinction of traveling beyond the confines of Earth, Glass will only be used at the beginning and end of the flight to test augmented reality systems in the “preflight integration and post-flight operations,” according to a press release from Kentucky Space, the nonprofit organization partnering with Tufts University. The flight is expected to return in mid-January.
This Google Glass test run is part of the beginning stages of a process to integrate the wearable device with Kentucky Space technology and experiments on the ISS in 2015, according to the press release.
Photo by lawrencegs/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)