Promoting new technology has been one of the key strengths of Google. And the best way the company does this is by leading the pack, giving consumers the best experience possible through their devices. Until now, Google mostly just supporting VR tech with efforts like the Cardboard, but a new job posting at Google will most likely change everything.
Google’s virtual reality tech was, until now, stuck to a cheap exoskeleton which could house a smartphone that would provide you with a somewhat ‘real’ virtual experience. Other than this, the company promoted VR content with others like Jump VR. While that was all fine, we hadn’t yet seen a Google-made product that could take VR to the next level.
Last year, we saw many companies unveil their take on virtual reality. These devices were headsets that stimulated reality on their own. These high-grade pieces of equipment were brought into the market by leading tech companies like HTC, Samsung, Oculus etc. Though most of them share very little when it comes to working principle and experience, they all still do integrate VR at the highest quality possible.
Google hadn’t yet gone into the pool. It’s Cardboard is a very innovative tech but it’s definitely not the best Google can give us. Fear not, the company’s latest job postings, first spotted by RoadtoVR, give us as array of hints suggesting Google’s future VR plans. The posting has been titled Hardware Engineering Technical Lead Manager, VR. Here are the responsibilities Google wants the freshman to take up:
- Define architecture, specification, design and test boards for innovative consumer electronic (CE) devices. Lead board design and bring-up, with a focus on low power and efficient thermal solutions.
- Lead overall engineering system integration of high-performance, battery powered, highly constrained consumer electronics products.
- Design for volume manufacturing at lowest cost, and quickly iterate on an ideas, prototype, test, refine cycle.
- Create assembly architectures to integrate mechanical, electrical, design and manufacturing requirements.
- Drive optimized mechanical designs for quality and manufacturability, and work closely with external resources and suppliers to drive on-time delivery of quality parts/components.
As you can observe from the above points, Google has plans for designing, developing and testing custom hardware products in the line of VR which strongly suggests that we might just be in for a headset treat from the web giant.
The new job posting comes just as we see Clay Bavor drop other duties (just last week) with the company to become Google’s VP of Virtual Reality. And surprisingly (or not) the company has currently listed 17 full-time job openings specific to virtual reality. This could certainly mean that we might see some great tech coming from the web giant in the near future.
We can’t yet predict what type of approach Google might take, it could go the Samsung way and roll out a device like the Gear VR, or it could model over the HTC, Sony or Oculus devices and give you the highest quality, both in hardware and experience, or Google could just be Google and find a new, better way of giving you access to the virtual world.
