A tech enthusiast has built a prototype of a real-world ad-blocker. It involves a pair of "smart glasses" which detect and block out billboards, newspaper ads and other promotional material.

It's the work of Stijn Spanhvove, who explained on social media site X that "I've been building an XR app for a real-world ad blocker using Snap @Spectacles. It uses Gemini to detect and block ads in the environment. It's still early and experimental, but it's exciting to imagine a future where you control the physical content you see." (Source: x.com)

The video shows the user's view as they walk round a street and ads are replaced in real time with an overlaid red box, a crossed out circle (similar to that used in road signs in some countries) and a brief description of what the ad is.

Tech Tweaked

It's not clear how practical the tool is, but the technology is already established. Snap Spectacles are "augmented reality" glasses which use a camera and display to take information from the surroundings and then overlay information in the user's view. For example, they could show live navigation information from a map tool for somebody walking a city, without the need to keep checking their phone.

Gemini is Google's AI tool. In this case it appears to be used to have the software learn common features of what a "real-life" ad looks like. That's likely a tricky task, particularly if a user wanted to block commercial posters but not public information display such as notice of a road closure.

Debating Point

As Lifehacker's Jake Peterson notes, while the technical challenges could be tackled, if such a product was commercially marketed and successful, it would likely prompt a cat-and-mouse game with marketers trying to find ways to bypass it. (Source: lifehacker.com)

For now it's as much as talking point and almost an art project as a technology exercise. The ad-blocking glasses could promote debate about why we are comfortable with excessive visual advertising in the real world, perhaps more than online.

Author's note: As always when I write about ad-blockers, I do so from a dual perspective: as an Internet user myself and as somebody who works for a site that makes money from advertising. If you do use an ad-blocker, please do consider "whitelisting" Infopackets if you are comfortable doing so to support the site.

What's Your Opinion?

Can you see this ever becoming more than a demo product? Would you use such a gadget if it was commercially available? Do you view online and real world ads differently?