Google Created a Star Trek-Inspired Wearable, But You'll Never See It The Star Trek communicator badge could have been a reality, but it never got beyond the testing stage.
By Nina Zipkin
It's no surprise that tech leaders look to pop culture for inspiration (hello, hoverboards and self-driving cars). Sadly for Star Trek fans, there is one product you won't be seeing anytime soon – at least not from Google.
Amit Singhal, a Google senior vice president who oversees search for the tech giant recently gave an interview to Time where he detailed some of the company's previously secret forays into the world of wearable tech.
Singhal is a longtime Star Trek fan and his love for the series led to the development of a prototype inspired by the communicator badges that Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew would wear on their uniforms.
Related: Stream Me Up, Scotty: CBS to Release New Star Trek Episodes Beginning January 2017
Google's version of the badge was a lapel pin outfitted with Bluetooth technology and microphone and it could be turned on just by tapping on it. A user could then use it to ask questions of the search engine in lieu of getting on a computer or using a mobile device to find the answer.
Unfortunately, the tech never got beyond the testing stage. Singhal did not explain why.
Given the voice activated helpers currently on the market, from Amazon's Echo to Siri to Cortana from Microsoft, it makes sense that Singhal also cited the Spike Jonze film Her as another pop culture property that Googlers get inspiration from when it comes to the future of search.
Related: Remembering Mr. Spock: 10 of Leonard Nimoy's Most Memorable Quotes
