In addition to the acquisition of Fitbit, the only wearables developed internally by Google are the second generation Pixel Buds and the Glass Enterprise Edition. A new report today says Alphabet’s X Moonshot Factory is working on wearable headphones codenamed “Wolverine” that improve your hearing.
According to Insider, Division X began work on a project in 2018 to allow users to “focus on a specific speaker in a group environment with overlapping conversations” or speech segregation. This is done using an in-ear device “packed with sensors” and microphones, which proved to be a design and physics challenge:
Wolverine has gone through many iterations so far – sources have described primitive versions of a device that covered the entire side of the ear or protruded above the ear.
Overall, the technology can be applied to several form factors.
But the sources emphasized that Wolverine may not just be a device or an application if it becomes a successful business. One recalled a meeting at which a member of the Wolverine team emphasized that the project needed to go beyond speech segregation. Insider was unable to find out what the other applications would be.
Alphabet confirmed to Insider that it was “exploring the future of hearing”, while names like X boss Astro Teller and Google co-founder Sergey Brin received the first demos in 2019. However, like other early-stage experiments , the wearable Wolverine can be killed by Alphabet X if a viable business path does not emerge.
Waymo’s autonomous cars are the most successful project born from the X, while the delivery of Wing drones is getting there. Loon internet balloons have just died, while Alphabet is working on agriculture and robots.
More broadly, today’s report reveals that Alphabet X is working on wearables again. Glass started at the Moonshot Factory and was a compelling experience for the company, but was later successful for industrial use and was transferred to Google’s AR and VR division two years ago.
The article reveals that “another team is working on a device worn on the face codenamed ‘Heimdallr’, in honor of the Nordic god who sees and hears everything”. No other details have been provided, but it may seem to be related to augmented reality.
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