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Intel's Top-Secret Lab Is Working On Google Glass-Like Gadgets

Justin Rattner Intel
Justin Rattner Intel

Intel

Intel CTO Justin Rattner

In 2012, Intel spent $10.1 billion on research and development, making it one of the biggest R&D spenders in the world.

Half of that money goes to wildly experimental tech, Justin Rattner, Intel CTO said Monday on stage at the Bloomberg Next Big Thing Summit.

"50 cents of every dollar goes into exploratory stuff and the other 50 cents of every dollar goes into tech that serves the business unit that makes the money," he said.

Much of that experimental tech is on Intel-designed devices, though Rattner stopped short of announcing plans to bring any of these devices to market.

He deftly sidestepped a question on if he thought Google Glass would become a mainstream device. Glass is built using ARM chips, Intel's competitor, so it would have been newsworthy if he endorsed it.

Even so, Intel's lab is working on wearable tech, he said, and he does see a big future for alternatives to Glass.

"Wearable computers will come in a variety of forms. Things that look like watches, head-worn devices like Google Glass of all sorts, and bio-sensors sewn into clothing," he said.

The labs are focused on the underlying technology needed for wearable devices, rather than prototypes of the devices themselves. They're working on chips and sensors, something he called a "sensor hub." The goal is to extend battery life. The idea is that the sensors are working all the time, but the phone doesn't stay powered up while they run.

"If something significant happens, it can decide to power up the phone," he describes.

As for a more direct alternative to Glass, he only smiled and said, "We're looking at novel display devices."

Ultimately, he wants to see Intel solve its reputation as a laggard in the mobile market.

"We must see Intel move faster," he said, explaining that "we've been legitimately accused of trying to get everything perfect before it comes to market ... today people are literally bringing systems to market with much less of that mentality," he says and Intel needs to get its products out faster and "iterate faster," too.



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