Speaking on Wednesday at the Telefonica Campus Party event in London, attended by V3, Cerf argued that it represented the next stage in computing and held huge potential for improving people’s lives.

“Google Glass is a very important new development. I know there’s been a lot of debate and discussion about Glass and privacy issues and the like but I want to give you a sense of why it is so important,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity to experiment with what happens when you allow a computer to become part of your sensory environment. It sees and hears what you see and hear and it can apply its power and the power of the internet to make use of information in context.”

He gave the theoretical example of a blind man trying to communicate with a deaf man, in a foreign language. He said Glass could recognise foreign voices and translate it to the wearer’s language, while also being able to interpret sign language and relay this message in text too. He acknowleged, though, that sign language interpretation was a little way off yet for the device.

“This is a very powerful opportunity to see what happens when computer power is made available within the context within which you operate.”

His comments on the privacy discussions that have surfaced around Google Glass relate to questions posed by numerous government regulators about how exactly the tool will work with regard the collection of data and facial recognition profiling.

The Multi-Surface Experience, put together by the digital signage firm The Hive and the architectural firm Gensler, serves as an eye-catching centerpiece in the lobby of Gensler’s Los Angeles office. The SLO_GEN digitally augmented table was designed by architecture students from the California Polytechnic School in collaboration with Gensler. Its streamlined curves make it look like a ceramic gravy ladle when viewed from the side. The table itself is striking, but there are no electronics housed within its natural wood and HI-MACS overlayed structure. You also won’t find any electronics in the book, which showcases architectural works from Gensler.

The digital magic displayed on the table’s surface actually comes from a projector and Kinect sensor positioned directly above the centerpiece. People use hand gestures and tap buttons projected on the table itself to navigate the book, which shows information on a 4K Planar display mounted on a wall behind the table.

One of the unique aspects of this setup is that the digital interface is immediately oriented to the individual’s location, no matter where the individual stands in relation to the table. Users can stop on any page in the book that interests them, and a tap of the hand produces more information about what is on that particular page.