14 DAY TRIAL // Google announced multiple features and projects that the tech giant has been working on, one of them being Google Lens. The project is quite similar to Google’s Image Search and uses object and scene recognition, also found in Google Photos.
As part of Google Assistant, Google Lens will eventually reach all Android smartphones and tablets that run Marshmallow and up. The technology will use visual recognition to help identify and suggest actions based on objects visible in the camera mode. To use it, Android users simply need to point the phone’s camera to an object and wait until it gets identified.
Then, Google Assistant will step in and provide suggestions or actions based on recognized objects. Google made a demonstration of Google Lens during the keynote, and revealed that users would be able to scan a restaurant in the real world by simply pointing the camera at it. This will bring up reviews and photos from Google Maps, while Assistant will offer to create reservations and even access the calendar to set events.
Google Lens will arrive soon
Another demo showed the smartphone scanning a WiFi network name and the password, while Google Lens made the necessary adjustments to automatically connect the phone to said network, without having to manually tap in the password and identify the network from the many available options.
In addition, during a conversation with Google Assistant, users will be able to tap a button and insert an image which the AI assistant then scans using Google Lens technology and processes data to provide relevant suggestions. Moreover, users will be able to hold up their phone’s camera to a sign written in a foreign language and get Google Assistant to translate the text.
The presentation then showed a picture of a child’s baseball game through a chain-link fence and revealed how Google’s algorithms could be set to automatically remove the fence and generate a cleaner image. Google could also enhance blurry images and make them clearer. Sadly, the tech giant hasn’t specifically said when Google Lens will be available, only revealing that it should arrive soon on Google Assistant and Photos, then on other products.
With Google Lens, your smartphone camera won’t just see what you see, but will also understand what you see to help you take action. #io17 pic.twitter.com/viOmWFjqk1 — Google (@Google) May 17, 2017