Google has updated the Google Glass GDK documentation to include support for external webcams attached via an On-The-Go cable (via Android Police). This means that, while developers already have access to the standard built-in Glass camera, they will now be able to incorporate additional camera views in their apps. Sadly, webcams won’t be Plug-and-Play, so developers are going to have to provide their own drivers for the hardware they want to use.
Notably, this functionality was actually demoed at Google I/O in June. As you will find in the video below, Hyunyoung Song, an engineer at Google, showed off a rigged together contraption for using Glass to display a rear-view camera while cycling. It looks kind of goofy (or, I guess, really goofy), but it’s only a proof of concept and being able to see what’s behind you while cycling seems like it would actually be a practical Glass use case.
Added support for USB webcam On-The-Go (OTG) on Glass. Known issues include:
- Plug and play for the video node is not supported. Reboot Glass to detect attached webcam.
- If the attached accessories have a microphone, contextual voice commands may not work.
- Holding a partial wakelock is recommended to prevent the system from suspending access to attached webcam.
Check out the Google I/O 2014 Innovate with the Glass Platform session for more information.
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