Google Technologies and Their Impact on Society

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Table of Contents

Self-Driving Car
Google Fiber
Smart Contact Lenses
Google Glass
Google Nest
References

Self-Driving Car

A self-driving car or an autonomous vehicle refers to an automobile with unique capabilities such as sensing its surroundings and navigating in a safe manner with minimal or no human input. Its design comprises devices such as GPS, radar, sonar, and inertial measurement units that help in sensing the environment (Fallon, 2018). It is also installed with advanced control systems that capture and interpret information, which allows for navigation through paths, evading obstacles, and signage among others. Google started this project in 2009, with the aim of realizing the dream of autonomous driving. In 2016, Waymo, an American autonomous driving technology company, became a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google. This eventually led to Googles self-driving project becoming Waymo.

Since this development, the company has engaged a lot in public participation, where the public is often invited to join in public trials of autonomous vehicles operated by Waymo drivers (Fallon, 2018). In 2020, Waymo became the first company to introduce a fist autonomous vehicle on public roads. One of the most notable elements about this concept is the sensational promotion that has happened over the years. This is evident in the number of technology companies that have offered their support. Tesla is one of the companies that have shown great support and faith in this concept to the extent of offering private vehicle owners subscription-based full self-driving experience in 2021.

This feasible technology is definitely bound to have a constructive impact with regard to the way people move from one point to another. Among the revolutionary changes that are likely to be witnessed due to the impact of this technology, include increased safety on the roads, low transportation costs, and reduced use of fossil fuels among others. The number of accidents resulting from human errors and irresponsible behaviors such as drunk driving will be greatly reduced (Bailey, 2014).

It would be a safe option to replace human-driven cars with self-drive cars as a way of improving safety on the roads and reducing the cost of providing health services to accident victims. Another positive impact that this technology will have is increased productivity across all sectors of the economy. This benefit will be necessitated by the fact that people will be able to utilize their time while commuting to do different things. However, the adoption of this revolutionary technology is bound to have some negative impacts across the spectrum. First, various car-related enterprises and automakers are likely to lose a lot of revenue.

This will greatly affect businesses that will not adjust fast enough to the dynamics of this technology. Software developers will most likely make the most out of this development, with numerous opportunities, as even the existing automakers will find the need to start a new production line to meet the emerging needs (Fallon, 2018). Dealers, insurers, and suppliers will experience reduced sales, as more people will be shifting towards more economical and safer options. Additionally, the government will also lose revenue they usually get from taxes and licensing fees.

The self-driving car technology has been received well by the public. However, it has attracted a number of social and ethical issues arising from its design and conflict of interest. One of the notable ethical issues is the challenging car design that needs to balance the safety concerns of both the passengers and pedestrians or cyclists (Bailey, 2014). For example, most self-driving cars are confounded by harsh weather conditions such as rainfall, which interferes with its sensors. Snowy weather also affects self-drive cars because it makes it hard to read any markings on the road. Additionally, users have raised safety concerns that are likely to develop due to the vulnerability of software to hacking, which can easily compromise its functionality.

Google Fiber

Google fiber refers to a fiber optic-based broadband internet service that was introduced in 2010. From a technological aspect, it is designed to offer users three major elements, namely high-speed internet connectivity, internet protocol television, and smart television (Johnson, 2020). To date, Google fiber services are accessible in eighteen locations across the United States. The most notable and exciting feature of this technology is speed. Google fiber offers internet speeds of 1000 Mbps that is faster compared to other internet providers. Its users have a better experience when it comes to downloads and uploads.

The challenge of the internet slowing down when many people are connected at the same time is common among broadband internet services of which Google fiber is not an exception. However, the good thing about Google fiber is the fact that its bandwidth is built to support internet speeds as high as 1000 Mbps (Levin & Downes, 2018). This means that the bandwidth of one use is less likely to be affected by the activity of other uses within the same location. Another attractive feature of this technology is the value for money with regard to the prices paid for both the internet and cable television (Johnson, 2020). The pricing is billed monthly and it is all-inclusive.

Since its introduction, Google fiber has had a significant impact on society in terms of empowering telecommunication companies to improve their infrastructure for better service delivery. Higher internet speeds have made it easy for people to do video conferencing in High Definition (HD). For people who love streaming videos on social networking sites, Google fiber has addressed the challenge of buffering because the internet speeds are reasonably high.

The same applies for cloud gaming enthusiasts who can now enjoy a highly fulfilling experience without any worries of the games hanging. The entrance of Google fiber into the cable television market means that consumers will benefit from the competition because other internet service providers will have to either improve their speed or lower their prices (Levin & Downes, 2018). Another benefit of this technology is the high storage capacity of the DVR box of its Google fiber television. It allows one to record multiple shows at the same time, while the 2TB hard drive allows one to store several videos in HD.

One of the major negative impacts of Google fiber is the increased compromise on privacy of the users (Levin & Downes, 2018). Already, Google has a lot of personal user information stored on its database. With the introduction of a broadband internet service, many users might be concerned over the privacy of their data captured and stored in Googles cloud.

One of the ethical or social dilemmas related to Google fiber involves the correlation between fairness and neutrality. In the contemporary world, the safety of the internet environment is a major concern for all users. This phenomenon is necessitated by fears over fairness with regard to service providers taking credit for other peoples work and lack of involvement when dealing with disputes relating to their products. Google has access to a lot of information stored in their database, thus it is reasonable when people such as content creators have fears over the safety of their information (Johnson, 2020). It is important for Google to make efforts towards improving its privacy policy.

Smart Contact Lenses

Over the years, contact lenses have been worn to purposely boost vision. However, with the high rate of technological development, newer and smarter lenses offering an array of solutions have been introduced into the market. Life in the contemporary world is characterized by technological designs that are friendlier and solution-based. A good example is smart contact lenses. This technology is designed and developed by Google to help in addressing the challenges faced by diabetic people (Lavars, 2019). Though they are yet to enter clinical trials in human, this technology is bound to have a significant impact across the world.

Medical researchers argue that smart contact lenses will definitely change the way people perceive blood sugar monitoring. It has a simple design consisting of a soft contact lens with a sensor that has the ability to measure glucose levels in tears (Philips & Speedwell, 2018).

The lenses also have a small pinhole, through which tears percolate over a glucose observer that interprets any information captured. Additionally, they are fixed with a minute knob, a capacitor, as well as a switch that allow for the information captured to shift from the eye to the device that stores and analyses it. Google describes the smart contact lenses as comfortable, inexpensive, and empowering (Lavars, 2019). The companys motivation to develop this technology was necessitated by the declaration by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) that the world was slowly losing the battle against the disease and it would welcome any form of input that would help address the challenge.

Smart contact lens is one of the technologies that one can predict that will have a significant impact in the field of medicine in the coming years. Over the years, medical researchers have struggled with designing and developing methodologies for measuring the glucose levels in people using tears. This observable fact was necessitated by a lack of technology that would safely capture and correctly analyze tears. However, smart contact lenses will solve this problem and make the treatment experience of diabetic people more fulfilling. Another benefit of smart contact lenses is that it will eliminate the traditional blood testing required when monitoring sugar levels within the body.

The fact that this technology has the potential to make blood sugar testing as effortless as possible, the excitement around it is quite understandable. As part of its development, Google has plans of equipping the lens with LED lights that will be changing color depending on how high or low the glucose levels are at a particular time (Lavars, 2019). Additionally, Google intends to make this technology for universal application as a way of helping all people improve their lifestyle regardless of ones health condition. Though Google had hoped to commercialize the lenses in five years from the time it launched the technology in 2014, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before it can be ready for use by everyone.

One of the social issues relating to this technology is the increasing need to make the device comfortable for everyone. If the technology intends to help in easing the financial burden of health care providers by helping prevent the development of diabetes, it is important to make the lenses as comfortable to wear as possible (Philips & Speedwell, 2018). Additionally, many people will definitely have concerns over its design.

The developer should be able to fit the sensor, power supply and other essential components into the lenss thin film to achieve an attractive design. Critics of this technology have also raised concerns regarding the authenticity of the data analyzed considering it is captured and transmitted to a wireless device (Philips & Speedwell, 2018). The fact that the sensors on the wireless device have to be on all the time in order to receive the data raises concerns over the accuracy of data. Technological failures are inevitable and if such issues are not taken into consideration, there is a possibility of gaps developing in the results.

Google Glass

Google glass refers to a brand of smart glasses that wearers use to communicate with over the internet using natural language voice commands. The small, light, and wearable computer with a transparent display allows one to work hands-free. The glasses often display information in a hands-free format, just as is the case with smart phones (Redmond, 2013). Google glass helps the use to achieve three major things, namely maintain focus, improve accuracy, and real-time collaboration.

Glass helps one to stay focused because it eliminates any distractions that might limit ones degree of engagement with high value work. When using glass, one tends to achieve better results because easy access to content online makes work easier, quicker, and of high standard. The live video stream available in glass makes it for real-time collaboration when working because it is easier to engage experts in whatever one is doing without having to go offline (Redmond, 2013). This technology was made available to the public in 2014 but a year earlier Google had already sold prototypes to glass explorers.

One of the major criticisms that many of the initial users expressed with regard to the technology was its violation of privacy laws. Less than a year after it was introduced to the public, Google stopped its production with a tentative time of resumption set at 2017. In July 2017, Google introduced the Google glass enterprise edition that was later followed by its second edition in 2019. Some of the main features of Google glass include a touchpad located on the side, 5 MP & 8MP camera for the two editions, as well as a liquid crystal on silicon display.

Since its introduction, Google glass has had a significant impact in various fields. In medicine, this technology has helped practitioners in improving patient experiences by reducing the amount of time taken during visits. Medical researchers argue that this technology has the potential to address some of the perennial challenges health care workers deal with when handling electronic health records (Tang, 2014). To date, Google glass has been successfully used in surgical procedures in the United States, thus demonstrating the impact it has already created amidst the growing potential. In Australia, Google glass has been successfully applied in lactation consultation.

Although many critics still focus a lot on its privacy concerns, Google glass has demonstrated its potential as a wearable device with regard to the delivery of health and family support services across long distances. Studies have also shown that Google glass technology helps children with autism to understand their emotions (Redmond, 2013). In turn, this improves their ability to engage more directly with others.

As much as Google glass has created a lot of excitement across the world, it has a number of ethical issues with regard to its use. Users of Google glass can easily record people they engage in without their knowledge or consent (Tang, 2014).

Although the device uses a red light to indicate when one is recording, many first time users fall prey to people with insincere intentions. It is unethical for people using Google glass to film others without seeking their consent, as this takes the moral autonomy of making that decision from the victim. There is an urgent need for this feature to be regulated by the developer because it is in strict contravention of the reciprocity principle (Tang, 2014). The fact that the use of Google glass in casinos and cinemas across some parts of the United States is already prohibited should signal Google to act swiftly.

Google Nest

Google Nest refers to a brand by Google that primarily operates in marketing smart home devices such as smoke detectors, security systems, routers, as well as smart locks, displays, and streaming devices among others. Nest is a brand that was owned by Nest Labs, with the Nest learning thermostat being its first product. One of the most impressive features of the thermostat is its competitive price and energy saving mechanisms (Brown, 2017).

Through its sensors, it can tell when one is no longer home and turn itself down to conserve energy. The thermostat has sensors, is programmable, and Wi-Fi just like all other Nest products. Google acquired Nest Labs in 2014, where it operated as an independent brand up to 2018. In 2019, it was merged into the companys home-devices unit and all Googles home appliances started working under the Google nest brand (Counte, 2019).

The companys second product to be released into the market was the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector. The unique feature of this product is a multicolored light ring, which uses different colors to indicate the ongoing operation. In 2015, the company released another product called nest cam indoor. Some of the notable features of the product include night vision, sound and motion alerts, as well as a rotating magnetic stand (Brown, 2017). Nest secure, a home security system, is also another product that the company announced in 2017. The security system consists of an alarm, keypad, and motion sensors. Nest Hello, a smart video doorbell enabled with facial recognition features was launched in 2018.

Since its entry into the market, Google nest has had a notable impact in the way people buy home appliances and security systems. The impact of their products was so significant to a point a parody by a German group was created and later detected. It operated with the name Google nest and offered fake products. This highlighted the increasing concern over the privacy of information captured by Google.

Creators of the parody website used the information from Googles database showing the behavior patterns of their users to know the kind of products with the highest demand. Although the company managed to deal with the issue, it remains for the public to have full confidence in the company. Additionally, there is an urgent need for increased government surveillance (Brown, 2017). It is important to appreciate the fact that Google nest has shown the commitment of Google towards improving privacy in our homes. The ability to link nest products with a mobile phone allows a user to monitor everything from anywhere.

The major ethical issue related to Google Nest is the distressing subject of privacy. It is important and necessary for Google and Nest labs to prioritize the privacy of their customers. They can try to avoid collecting their personal information for marketing purposes, as it can also attract legal issues in case they file for breach of privacy (Counte, 2019). For some people, the fact that most of the home appliances and security systems in the market are part of the Google brand feels like an invasion into their privacy. When it comes to home security and doing things across online databases, the ability of users to maintain their anonymity is usually a matter of priority.

Although Google has maintained a strong policy on the privacy issue, it is not possible to ignore the fact that people will need further convincing before buying and using their products without raising an eyebrow. Nest technology has changed the manner in which people manage their home security (Counte, 2019). Therefore, the numerous misconceptions that people have due to its relation with Google cannot be overlooked for business reasons.

References

Bailey, R. (2014). The moral case for self-driving cars. Web.

Brown, N. (2017). Google home: Complete manual book to master your smart assistant. Create Space Independent Publishing Platform.

Counte, S.L. (2019). Google your home: Setting up a network of Nest devices in your home. SL Editions.

Fallon, M. (2018). Self-driving cars: The new way forward. Twenty-First Century Books.

Johnson, D. (2020). What is Google Fiber? Everything you need to know about Googles high-speed internet service. Web.

Lavars, N. (2019). Smart contacts: The future of the wearable you wont even see. Web.

Levin, B., & Downes, L. (2018). Why Google fiber is high-speed internets most successful failure. Web.

Philips, A.J., & Speedwell, L. (2018). Contact lenses (6th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.

Redmond, E. (2013). Programming Google glass: The mirror API. Pragmatic Bookshelf.

Tang, J. (2014). Beginning Google glass development. Apress.

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