Is Google working on self-adjusting glasses? Patent hints at sensors and motors that tighten the arms to stop them falling off

• Google has been awarded a patent for self-adjusting smart glasses
• System's designed to use motion detectors and motors built into the frame
• They would automatically tighten or loosen the device's arms
• There's no guarantee they will ever be made of the tech will be used in the next version of Google Glass, which is expected next year 

If you wear glasses, you may be constantly irritated by the frames repeatedly slipping down your nose, especially when exercising.

But Google may have found a solution, which could save spectacle wearers making regular adjustments.

It’s been awarded a patent for a self-adjusting system that could be built into wearable devices such as Google Glass.

Google has been awarded a patent for a self-adjusting system that could be built into wearable devices such as Google Glass. The system would use sensors and motors to bend sections of the arms (shown in solid black) in order to change the tension of the arms to make them grip more tightly or
loosely

The system is designed to include motion detectors and motors built into the frame to automatically tighten or loosen sections of the device’s arms, meaning they may not slip off while running, for example.

The patent says: 'A method for adjusting a tension of a frame of a wearable computing device is provided. 

'The method may include receiving an input signal from a component of the wearable computing device that is indicative of movement of the wearable computing device.

As with all patents, the technology may never be realised, but there’s a chance it could be included in future iterations of Google Glass, in other wearables or simply regular glasses. A view of the technology inside the glasses shown from the front is pictured

The invention could be good news for athletes in particular, some of whom choose not to wear glasses in case they fly off and break while exercising. Here, a group of women wearing sports sunglasses are shown

HOW WOULD THE GLASSES ADJUST AUTOMATICALLY? 

The glasses would have sensors inside the frame to detect if a wearer is running, or bouncing up and down.
They would also include an actuator – a small motor – in each arm that could bend sections of the arms so they would be tighter or looser.
This means the glasses could grip tighter to a person's head when they are moving fast without the wearer having to make manual adjustments. 

'The method may also include determining an adjustment of a tension of at least a portion of the frame of the wearable computing device based on the input signal.’

This means the glasses would have sensors inside to detect if a wearer is running.

They would also include an actuator – a small motor – in each arm that could bend them to be tighter or looser.

As with all patents, the technology may never be realised, but there’s a chance it could be included in future iterations of Google Glass, or even in other wearables or regular glasses. 

The invention could be good news for athletes in particular, some of whom choose not to wear glasses in case they fly off and break while exercising, Quartz reported. 

The next version of Google Glass is expected to be released in 2016, although it will be targeted at businesses.

The next version of Google Glass is expected to be released in 2016, although it will be targeted at businesses. A stock image of the original and distinctive Google Glass device is shown

Rumours surfaced in July that the new version of the wearable device will not be mounted on a head set like the original, but will be attachable to any set of glasses or goggles.

The search giant has also developed a new battery pack for the device that reportedly boosts the battery life to two hours, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

Other improvements include increasing the size of the prism that projects images into the user's vision, effectively giving it a bigger display, while at the same time making it thinner and more compact.

A version will not be available to buy until the middle of 2016 at the earliest, according to the report.

THE RISE OF THE GLASSHOLE 

The previous Google Glass headset was launched in a beta version under the firm's Explorer programme.
This programme gave software developers the chance to buy Glass for $1,500 (£990), and was launched in the US in 2013, and the UK last summer.
But, as the Explorers hit the streets, they drew stares and jokes.
Some people viewed the device, capable of surreptitious video recording, as an obnoxious privacy intrusion, deriding the once-proud Explorers as 'Glassholes.'
'It looks super nerdy,' said Shevetank Shah, a Washington, DC-based consultant, whose Google Glass now gathers dust in a drawer.
'I'm a card carrying nerd, but this was one card too many.'