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India's answer to Google Glass: Hands free wearable device enables users to carry out computer functions

Peerzada Abrar, ET Bureau Dec 4, 2013, 01.42PM IST
(With a near-eye screen which…)

BANGALORE: In the Indian answer to Google Glass, Bangalore-based Mistral Solutions has designed a wearable computing device that is bagging marquee clients including the Los Angeles Police Department.

Tucked away in east Bangalore and dwarfed by multinational companies like Dell, IBM and Microsoft, Mistral has designed a wearable headset computer operated by voice commands and head movements.

With a near-eye screen which appears as a 15-inch PC display, the product enables users to carry out common computer functions while keeping their hands free.

"Google Glass is operated by touch, here everything is done by voice," said Anees Ahmed, founder of Mistral, who has been working on wearable computers for more than five years with a few large technology companies. "Like a direction-sensitive microphone used by fighter pilots , it can pick up voice commands only from your mouth and cancel all other noises," said 46 year-old Ahmed.

The Los Angeles Police Department already has their force using a version of wearable computers designed by Mistral. The device records evidence to protect officers from allegations of wrongdoing and to document encounters with the public. It also records the decision-making rationale of police commanders for future use in after-action training and legal inquiries.

"So far, as a country we have not been dirtying our hands to make hardware-software devices. Writing code is okay, but we also need to make products," said S Sadagopan, founder director of the International Institute of Information Technology in Bangalore. "In the wearable computer space, we need to make headway into the sensor and sensing space."

Mistral has designed the product targeting professionals such as fire fighters, construction workers, police, aircraft repair and emergency medical services. Ahmed said the product is being tried out by the fire fighters in US to improve time efficiency and safety by allowing them to access vital information while at work in an emergency situation. They can call up floor plans and GPS coordinates on their eyewear giving them real-time understanding of the layout and hence enabling quick evacuation or rescue operations.

The retail revenue from smart wearable devices, including smart watches and glasses, will reach $19 billion (Rs 1.18 lakh crore) by 2018 compared with $1.4 billion (Rs 8,726 crore) this year, according to Juniper Research. Mistral's wearable computer can also access multiple independent devices or networks simultaneously which includes PCs, mobile phones and company servers using voice.

The other features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and sensors have been packaged in a compact size. Although Mistral has designed the product for industrial use, it also has plans to design smaller and sleeker versions as well in the future.

"This includes sunglasses which can be used for applications like gaming and entertainment," said Ahmed, who, after various stints at technology companies such as Pertech Computers and Cranes Software, founded Mistral along with his colleague Rajeev Ramachandra in 1997. The friends started the company with an investment of Rs 5 lakh from a house in Bangalore.

Both being sailing and wind-surfing enthusiasts, they named the company Mistral, which is the name of the violent and cold northwest wind experienced in the Mediterranean region of France. "There are hardly any lakes in the city, I now keep myself busy with golf," said Ahmed who expects Mistral to achieve a revenue of Rs 500 crore in the next three years.