I’m not sure of the likelihood of the ideas I discuss in this post actually happening, hence the word RUMORS in the title.  These ideas are based on facts and technology that’s already been patented, but in the end we never really know what Google is going to do.  Since releasing the Glass earlier this year to a select group of Explorers, Google has been working to improve it and make it part of everyday life for the masses in the future.

Let’s start with the latest news regarding the Glass.  As of right now, Google Glass has no way of cataloging physical objects, aside from a user telling it to take a picture of something that catches their interest.  Today Google was granted its latest patent, described as “hand gestures to signify what is important.”  This technique uses a wearable computing device’s camera to recognize certain hand gestures made in front of objects.  If Google implements this patent on the Glass, users would be able to make a heart shape with their hands to “like” what’s in front of them, or frame something with their fingers to select it.

Back in August, Google was awarded a patent for “pay per gaze advertising,” which, through an eye-tracking device, could charge advertisers any time a Glass user physically looked at their ad.  It’ll likely take years before Glass has enough of a user base for pay-per-gaze to be profitable, but rumor has it that Google has already been creating add-ons to this technology.  What if they could charge advertisers based not only on gazes, but also reactions or emotions?

Last month I read a rumor that I dubbed “pay-per-reaction marketing.”   In addition to gazes, Google could measure the level of a user’s pupil dilation and thus gauge his/her emotional response.  Let’s say you gaze at an ad through the Glass– the advertiser would be charged.  But if the ad brings out some sort of emotion and your pupils dilate- the advertiser would be charged even more.

I’m not at all sure how likely or how soon we’ll be “hearting” real-world objects on the Glass or if advertisers will someday be charged more for serving up ads with emotional pull.  But they’re interesting thoughts, and I’d love to be able to say “I told you so” if Google implements its patents and they come to fruition down the road.

Casey Kurlander