• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates

2

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO

3

'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money

1

Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates

2

'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO

3

'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money

A reason to take Google Glass seriously

By
JP Mangalindan
JP Mangalindan
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
JP Mangalindan
JP Mangalindan
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 8, 2014, 8:49 PM ET
“It’s for the 90% of workers who don’t work behind a computer and use their hands a lot,” says Wearable Intelligence CEO and co-founder Yan-David Erlich. Photo: Wearable Intelligence.

FORTUNE — Google Glass critics may now have a reason to be less skeptical.

Wearable Intelligence, a San Francisco-based startup founded last July by Yan-David Erlich, Ryan Junee and Chase Feiger, has developed enterprise software that uses Google’s wearable computer glasses to improve the day-to-day performance of service workers.

Medical professionals, for example, can use Google Glass to skim a patient’s medical history without referencing traditional charts on a computer, and so diagnose symptoms more quickly. Or a construction worker could work without ever reaching for a building map.

“It’s for the 90% of workers who don’t work behind a computer and use their hands a lot,” explains Erlich, a former Google (GOOG) product manager. The software offers three major features: secure sign-on and access to client servers, a sort of virtual “workflow checklist” template clients can heavily customize, and a video streaming ability that uses the device’s camera.

MORE: Meet the best Google Android phone on the market

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mass., is one of around 10 organizations that have been testing Wearable Intelligence’s software with Glass.

Doctors and nurses currently log in to the system with their medical credentials at a regular computer. The computer presents a two-dimensional bar code called a QR code that helps authenticate the user’s identity with Google Glass. Once they are logged in, medics can check a patient’s medical history, follow step-by-step procedures for forming a diagnosis, or even have a colleague weigh in via video streaming, all using Glass. Once the user is done, they simply remove the glasses, causing the software to erase all user and patient data from the device. (If a user exits the hospital, Glass automatically shuts down, erases the data and notifies the user to turn back.)

Wearable Intelligence has raised over $1 million in seed funding from backers including First Round Capital, Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins and serial entrepreneur Steve Blank. The startup will spend the rest of 2014 layering on new features — say, automatic sign-off after a few hours, or walkthroughs of complex medical procedures — and expanding into other industries, the company says.

As Erlich notes, Glass isn’t a final product — the consumer version is expected later this year, and wearable technology remains a nascent market. Despite the skeptics, Glass will eventually have a wide variety of applications, says Erlich.

“It may take some variable amount of time, but it will happen.”

About the Author
By JP Mangalindan
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Brian Schimpf gestures with both hands as he speaks on stage.
Startups & VentureBrainstorm Tech
Anduril CEO Brian Schimpf says economic warfare is the ‘new normal’ for military conflicts—and the U.S. needs to get serious
By Lily Mae LazarusJune 8, 2026
4 hours ago
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China’s biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
AsiaAlibaba Group
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China’s biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
5 hours ago
Twitch CEO: Social media has become ‘antisocial’ and can’t match the shared, human connection of livestreaming
Big TechBrainstorm Tech
Twitch CEO: Social media has become ‘antisocial’ and can’t match the shared, human connection of livestreaming
By Sebastian HerreraJune 8, 2026
5 hours ago
Two men sitting on chairs on a stage
Future of WorkBrainstorm Tech
Your career needs a ‘gym membership’ to keep up with continuous AI advancements, says Campus founder Tade Oyerinde
By Amanda GerutJune 8, 2026
6 hours ago
ChatGPT maker OpenAI confidentially files for IPO, a week after Anthropic
Startups & VentureOpenAI
ChatGPT maker OpenAI confidentially files for IPO, a week after Anthropic
By Bloomberg, Shirin Ghaffary and Bailey LipschultzJune 8, 2026
7 hours ago
As America nears its 250th, roughly half thinks the American Dream isn’t true anymore
North Americademocracy
As America nears its 250th, roughly half thinks the American Dream isn’t true anymore
By The Associated Press, Gary Fields, Linley Sanders and Nicholas RiccardiJune 8, 2026
7 hours ago

Most Popular

Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
Success
Gen Zers are arriving at college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates
By Preston ForeJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
Economy
'We didn’t see this coming': Wall Street eats its forecasts as stocks sell off globally on fear of AI bubble ahead of SpaceX IPO
By Jim EdwardsJune 8, 2026
19 hours ago
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
Economy
'The golden years are not golden': Boomers are hoarding most of America's wealth and power because they're terrified of outliving their money
By Nick LichtenbergJune 7, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
15 hours ago
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
Environment
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
By Sasha RogelbergJune 8, 2026
8 hours ago
SpaceX's IPO will also be a massive selling event triggering big price dislocations across the stock market as investors dump shares to buy SPCX
Investing
SpaceX's IPO will also be a massive selling event triggering big price dislocations across the stock market as investors dump shares to buy SPCX
By Jason MaJune 7, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.