How wearable technology is changing the way paleontologists document major fossil discoveries
In short: Aki Watanabe, a student at the American Museum of Natural History, uses Google Glass to record his experience during a fossil expedition in the Gobi Desert. This video captures the hands-on process of identifying and extracting large fossil bones in the field.
During an annual expedition to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, a team led by Michael Novacek and Mark Norell utilized wearable technology to document their work. Aki Watanabe, a student at the Richard Gilder Graduate School, served as a beta-tester for Google Glass, providing a unique, first-person perspective of the paleontological process.
The footage illustrates the transition from initial discovery—spotting bone fragments on the surface—to the technical labor of extracting entire, massive fossils from the earth. This documentation is part of a broader series highlighting various aspects of the expedition, from prospecting and road travel to laboratory preparation back at the museum.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Google Glass in the Gobi: Something Big
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