Don’t you hate when companies hide their plans for years?  Well that won’t happen here!  Plantronics Labs has released some new videos that allow us to see what they are working on for future products.  The coolest thing I have seen in a long time, and what I wanted to share with you today, is what they call the “Concept One.”  The concept one is really the wearable of the future and I will explain why.

The Wearable Concept One looks a lot like the Voyager Pro but can do so much more.  It takes a fantastic headset packed with features, and adds a low latency nine-axis sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, and a compass.  This allows for some amazing possibilities all coming from this headset.

Head Tracking

This is the most obvious application of the Wearable Concept One.  It could be used to track your head movements.  The prototype can already do this in real time with very low latency as seen in the video above.  You can see another demo below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7H2srLoLCc#t=1869

Enhanced Gaming

Being a gamer myself, the endless possibilities of this technology excites me.  Imagine how scary a game could be if it could tell which direction you were looking.  Picture all of the neat features that could be added that would respond to the nod of the head or a tap on the earpiece.  I foresee some awesome gaming opportunities.

To see an example of how games can be impacted with a headset with motion tracking, check out the video below!

GPS

The features on the headset are able to work with your smartphones GPS to allow developers to create unique experiences within the applications they build.  For example PLT LABS has created an app that uses head tracking to navigate Google Street View.  Using GPS location from the cell phone, Google Street View is able to display the user’s real-life location.  Once the GPS has detected the proper location, the headset is able detect which direction a user is looking and display that corresponding Google Street View image on the computer screen.

Other Applications

This device could be used in a variety of other ways as well.  Its ability to connect to GPS makes it an incredibly useful tool for first responders of all types (police, fire, medical).  Since the concept one also has a build in pedometer, and music streaming capabilities, it makes a perfect workout tool as well.  It truly is the all in one headset.

Sadly it is just a prototype for now, but cheer up, you can read more about the concept one and stay updated at www.pltlabs.com.