The new patent will make taking a continuous series of images of back country hiking trails easier with a walking staff that has to be lighter weight and more convenient than the "Trekker." The Trekker is a large device that looks like a backpack with a basket ball-sized camera on top. These contraptions were used by Google's hiking trail recording team on the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon National Park in 2012.
With the new equipment, armchair outdoor enthusiasts, will be able to see Google's Street View on a stick in the back country of some of the most beautiful and remote places in the world. Imagine 360-degree images of breathtaking views on some of the spectacular and remote high country trails of Yosemite's Twolome Meadows, accessable only on foot.
The patent, Walking stick with IMU, description can be read on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
I have hiked many spectacular trails that most people never see, and it would be wonderful to have a record of the memories of those exotic places and events. Although the patent is a good business move for Google to own and keep for themselves, I am wishing that they would not only produce the product that they envision, for their company use, but also for sale to the outdoor enthusiast that wants to create a record of some of the most pristine wilderness areas on our planet.
Bernard Kohan is a Google enthusiast!
