Google XR Glasses Prototype With Real Time Translation, 'Memory' Features Showcased at TED 2025

Google and Meta have shown that it is possible to offer extended reality experiences on a wearable device that resembles a pair of spectacles.

Written by David Delima | Updated: 11 April 2025 17:41 IST

Google XR Glasses Prototype With Real Time Translation, 'Memory' Features Showcased at TED 2025

Photo Credit: Google

Google stopped producing prototypes of the Google Glass headset in January 2015

Highlights

Google showcased its XR glasses at TED 2025
The XR glasses run on Google's Android XR operating system
There's no word from Google on plans to launch a commercial version

Google recently showed off a pair of extended reality (XR) glasses at the ongoing TED 2025 conference in Vancouver. While companies like Apple and Samsung have already developed mixed reality headsets (Apple Vision Pro and Project Moohan), several firms like Meta, Google, Apple, Samsung, and Snapchat are working on lighter XR glasses that resemble spectacles. The new Google XR glasses prototype connects to a smartphone, and it is capable of performing tasks like real-time translation or analysing recently viewed scenarios with a 'Memory' feature.

Google's XR Glasses Are Equipped With a Camera, Microphone, and Speakers

On the second day of the TED 2025 conference (via Axios), Shahram Izadi, Vice President and General Manager of XR at Google, made a presentation wearing a pair of XR glasses that resemble the Project Orion prototype shown off by Meta last year. The executive reportedly told the audience that he was viewing the notes for his speech using the smart glasses' display.

Izadi was joined by a colleague who also wore a pair of the smart glasses to show off a few features available on the device. This included generating a haiku about the audience, translating text into different languages, identifying music and playing it via the YouTube Music app on a connected smartphone.

Samsung's ‘Haean’ Android-Powered Smart Glasses Could Launch This Year

Google's XR glasses prototype are also capable of another useful feature dubbed 'Memory'. As the name suggests, the feature allows the smart glasses to remember various objects it has "seen" via the built-in camera, and respond to user queries about these objects.

In order to reduce the amount of processing taking place on the device and keep its weight in check, the XR glasses are connected to a smartphone. Content is streamed to the handset and information is sent back and showed on the display. This also reduces the amount of power consumed by the XR headset.

The company previously confirmed that it is already working on smart glasses, after it launched a new operating system for wearables called Android XR. Samsung's first mixed reality headset that will run on Android XR is expected to arrive this year alongside a pair of XR glasses, and Google has previously showcased a pair of wearable XR glasses that are connected to a smartphone.

Google has yet to announce plans to launch a commercial version of these smart glasses, and it could be a few years until the company introduces an XR headset. Meta could launch a pair of smart glasses based on its Orion prototype by 2027, and other brands could also introduce similar products in the coming years.

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Further reading: Google XR Glasses, Android XR, Google, TED 2025

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More