MODULE 4 - ASSIGNMENT
Blog
Post on the Disruptive Power of Google Glass
According to Dr. Thornburg (2014a), one of the six forces that drives emerging technologies is the force of disruptive technologies. As an educator, it is imperative to familiarize myself with the six forces that drive emerging technologies. Watching the video and listening to Professor Clayton Christensen of Harvard University who is associated with disruptive technology talking about what disruptive technology is and what it does was a fascinating experience (Laureate Education, 2014a).
To understand what disruptive technology is let us imagine of an emerging technology that is doing well on the market. Now, a new technology comes out of nowhere and starts competing with the emerging technology. The new technology takes over the emerging technology because it is less expensive for the consumers to buy. Moreover, it has the potential to do whatever the emerging technology does but more resourcefully. In the end, the new technology becomes the disruptive technology which forces the emerging technology to become obsolete (Laureate Education, 2014a). Google Glass and the MIT SixthSence Project are examples of disruptive technologies. The MIT SixthSence Project is based on the idea
of interacting the virtual world with the physical world (TED India, 2009). Moreover,
Google Glass enables people to connect and communicate in an instant (Google Glass, n.d.). We can understand more about disruptive technologies by studying and analyzing them. Let us look closer at a technology such as Google Glass to be able to answer vital questions about it.
When it comes to Smartphones, consumers think about two big companies such as Samsung and Apple. These two companies always compete which one to create the best phones in the market. Now, there is another company with a reputation that can put the end to the competition between Apple and Samsung. The name of the company is Google, and it can use its disruptive technology “Google Glass” to cause probably the end of the Smartphone wars (Shaughnessy, 2013). Furthermore, Figure 2 shows how the Google Class works. The device has a camera that can be used in two different ways. This wearable technology enables users to take pictures or videotape an event. Also, Google Glass uses the phone speakers to allow clients to communicate with each other. Who needs a camera to take pictures or to record a video? Google Glass can replace a camera or a video camera with the functionalities the technology has.
As a result, the instructor will be able to
achieve the following things
Disruptive Technology, Google Glass, The MIT SixthSence Project
GOOGLE GLASS
Why
is a technology such as Google Glass a disruptive technology?
According to Dr. Thornburg (2014a), a disruptive
technology is a wild card that comes out unexpectedly as a new product with the
ability to change the nature of the game by eliminating the long term of an
emerging technology which has no security. Also, the new technology can be
cheaper in price to attract customers rapidly, and its functionalities are
working productively.
Google Glass has all these characteristics to be a
disruptive technology. Google class becomes suddenly for the doctors of the
Division of Pediatric Surgery of Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital of Westchester
Medical Center a portable information and telecommunication technology that
advancing in a breathtaking speed (Muensterer, Lacher, Zoeller, Bronstein,
& Kübler, 2014). Figure 1 shows that Doctors
take a quality picture with the Glass while a nurse adjusts the light. Furthermore,
Google Glass disrupts the way healthcare functions as a powerful too.Google Glass disrupts the way healthcare functions as a
powerful too. Doctors wear the technology that recognizes the emergency room
when they walk into it (Ashier, 2014). Now, a doctor can read the medical data
of the patient on the Glass while he/she talks and examines the patient.
(Ashier, 2014). Lastly, the price for Google Glass is $1,500. Perhaps, the consumer does not want to pay
the amount to buy the product because it is expensive. The client may want to
wait until the wearable device arrives on the consumer market and its price
goes down to $229 (Tofel, 2013). A disruptive technology can turn from formerly
expensive when it becomes available in the market to a low price that is
affordable to the consumers (Laureate Education, 2014a).
 |
| Figure 1 - Doctors take a quality picture with the Glass while a nurse adjusts the light (Click Image to Enlarge) |
What
technology did Google Glass displace?
 |
| Figure 2 - Google Glass (Click Image to Enlarge) |
What are the social benefits and the social implications of Google Glass in your industry?
Google Glass can change positively the educational industry where I am. In the video, you can see how Google Glass can transform medical education. Doctors and students wear Google Glasses, and they can communicate with each other. Now, this disruptive technology enables the professor to have an assessment tool where he can look at the activity pupils undertaking exactly through the students supplies.
- to see his learners’ eyes where their land primarily
- to find out what the thoughts of his pupils are and
- to know what the decisions of his students are (UA College of Medicine, 2014).
Alternatively, the wearable
computer technology we call Google Glass can cause a social implication
in the
education industry. It will enable students to take notes when they go to
class. Moreover, the
technology can allow pupils to carry on with the courses
their take, but learners will lose their
privacy (Lemas, 2013). Disruptive technologies
have entered the sacred grounds of domestic and
private life (Katyal, 2013).
 |
| Figure 3 - Wearable
Emerging Technologies (Click Image to Enlarge) |
How many years does technology have left
before another emerging technology or disruptive technology replaces it?
Technologies have to help organizations to solve
real problems in life. Moreover, it is significant to know how many years the
emerging technology such as Google Glass a futurist wants to bring to his/her
organization has to reach maturity and adoption. According to Garter’s Hype
Cycle for Emerging Technologies (2015), wearable emerging technologies have 5
to 10 years to reach the cycle of maturity, adoption and become mainstream. Figure 3 depicts that wearable technologies are under the Peak of Inflated Expectations step which is the second phase out of Gartner’s Five-Step Hype Cycle a technology has to go through to reach the mainstream.  |
 |
|
Disruptive Technology, Google Glass, The MIT SixthSence Project
References
Ashier, B. (2014, March 10). Google Glass could be a powerful tool for disruptive innovation in healthcare. Healthcare IT News. Retrieved from http://www.healthcareitnews.com/blog/google-glass-could-be-powerful-tool-disruptive-innovation-healthcare
Gartner. (2016). What’s New in Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/whats-new-in-gartners-hype-cycle-for-emerging-technologies-2015/
Google Glass. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7. 2014, from http://www.google.com/glass/start/
Katyal, N. (2013). Disruptive Technologies and the Law. Geo. LJ, 102, 1685.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2014i). David Thornburg: Science fiction [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Lemas, M. (2013, December 2). Students study Goggle Glass’ effect on education. Daily Trojan. Retrieved from http://dailytrojan.com/2013/12/02/students-study-google-glass-effect-on-education/
Muensterer, O. J., Lacher, M., Zoeller, C., Bronstein, M., & Kübler, J. (2014). Google Glass in pediatric surgery: an exploratory study. International journal of surgery, 12(4), 281-289.
Shaughnessy, H. (2013, March 3). Does Google Glass Spell The End of The Smartphone Wars? Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/03/03/does-google-glass-spell-the-end-of-the-smartphone-wars/#145e1e2e21ed
TED India. (Producer). 2009. The thrilling potential of SixthSence technology [Video file]. Retrieved June 7, 2014, from http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology
Tofel, K. (2013, August 2013) Why Google Glass costs $1,500 now and will likely be around $299 later. GIGAOM. Retrieved from https://gigaom.com/2013/08/08/why-google-glass-costs-1500-now-and-will-likely-be-around-299-later/
UA College of Medicine – Phoenix. (2014, April 10). Google Glass Transforms Medical Education [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HQa_Af3Gaw
Tofel, K. (2013, August 2013) Why Google Glass costs $1,500 now and will likely be around $299 later. GIGAOM. Retrieved from https://gigaom.com/2013/08/08/why-google-glass-costs-1500-now-and-will-likely-be-around-299-later/
UA College of Medicine – Phoenix. (2014, April 10). Google Glass Transforms Medical Education [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HQa_Af3Gaw
Tofel, K. (2013, August 2013) Why Google
Glass costs $1,500 now and will likely be around $299 later. GIGAOM. Retrieved from https://gigaom.com/2013/08/08/why-google-glass-costs-1500-now-and-will-likely-be-around-299-later/
UA College
of Medicine – Phoenix. (2014, April 10). Google Glass Transforms Medical
Education [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HQa_Af3Gaw
Hi Konstadinos, Very comprehensive post. I appreciated watching the video you posted from the Harvard professor. It is very interesting how cost plays such a role in the advancement of technology. When I was at a conference, I listened to a podium presentation on using Google Glass for managing a cardiac arrest situation. A faculty physician was in another room overseeing a mock cardiac arrest, while a resident physician was in the room leading the team. What I recall from the presentation, while it was really neat to see something like this in action, the reality was there were delays in communication speed and also communication overlaps when the people in the room were talking to the leader at the same time the faculty physician was. Also, Google Glass is limited by what can be seen through the specific view, thus the faculty physician would not always know what was going on, unless the resident looked directly at a monitor (for example) or the mock patient. Gave me a whole different perspective on the use of this technology. Steve
ReplyDeleteHi Steve,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. I love technology, and the class we are both taking gives me the opportunity to learn more about technology. I am fascinated with the force of disruptive technologies on the emergence of new technologies. Studying more about disruptive technologies is an excellent idea. Finding time to dedicate to my studies is going to be always a challenge for me. Also, I wish I had more time to devote to my studies, but the three colleges where I teach during the week keep me occupied for a long time of period. Furthermore, I had a feeling that you were going to like my blog because it demonstrates many remarkable things that Google Glass can do in the medical field.
Konstadinos
Konstadinos, It's amazing how so many different uses for google glasses are still being founded for this emerging technology that was on the cusp of being obsolete. Do you feel the emergence of this technology was introduced too soon and google became encapsulated in their own hype?
ReplyDelete