computer science

Google Goggles

Google Goggles is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Google Goggles rather than just read about it. In short: Google Goggles was an image recognition mobile app developed by Google. It was used for searches based on pictures taken by handheld devices.

Key takeaways

Google Goggles belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Google Goggles to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Google Goggles from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Google Goggles was an image recognition mobile app developed by Google. It was used for searches based on pictures taken by handheld devices. For example, taking a picture of a famous landmark searches for information about it, or taking a picture of a product's barcode would search for information on the product.

History Google Goggles was developed for use on Google's Android operating system for mobile devices. While initially only available in a beta version for Android phones, Google announced its plans to enable the software to run on other platforms, notably iPhone and BlackBerry devices. Google did not discuss a non-handheld format. Google product manager Shailesh Nalawadi indicated that Google wanted Goggles to be an application platform, much like Google Maps, not just a single product. On October 5, 2010, Google announced availability of Google Goggles for devices running iOS 4.0. In a May 2014 update to Google Mobile for iOS, the Google Goggles feature was removed. At Google I/O 2017, a similar app, Google Lens was announced that has similar functions as Goggles and uses the Google Assistant. The app was officially discontinued on August 20, 2018 with its last update directing users to download Google Lens or Google Photos upon launching the app.

Features The system could identify various labels or landmarks, allowing users to learn about such items without needing a text-based search. The system could identify products barcodes or labels that allow users to search for similar products and prices, solve sudokus from photographs, and save codes for future reference, similar to the CueCat from late 1990s. The system also recognized printed text and uses optical character recognition (OCR) to produce a text snippet, and in some cases even translate the snippet into another language. In December 2011, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced its collaboration with Google to use Google Goggles for providing information about the museum's artworks through direct links to the website of the museum.

References

External links Official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Google Goggles

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Google Goggles claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Google Goggles before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Google Goggles ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Google Goggles

In research: Google Goggles appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Google Goggles in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Google Goggles is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Android (operating system), Android (operating system) software, Computer vision software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Google Goggles outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Google Goggles in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Google Goggles means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Google Goggles out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Google Goggles in simple terms?

Google Goggles was an image recognition mobile app developed by Google. It was used for searches based on pictures taken by handheld devices.

Why does Google Goggles matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Google Goggles?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Google Goggles.