Those who are lucky enough to own Google’s Glass device could soon find themselves on the receiving end of even stranger looks, after the company released an update which enables users to  activate the camera with a single wink.

The web giant said that the new feature would be faster than the voice action or standard camera button, and that it will work even after the display has been turned off.

The ‘XE12’ update has also given owners the power to upload videos to YouTube and to lock their screens when the device isn’t being used.

While, like much of Glass’ offering, the new wink feature seems a little gimmicky, the company has suggested that there’s a lot more to the idea than meets the eye.

In an official blog post, a spokesperson said:

“Imagine a day where you’re riding in the back of a cab and you just wink at the meter to pay.

“You wink at a pair of shoes in a shop window and your size is shipped to your door. You wink at a cookbook recipe and the instructions appear right in front of you – hands-free, no mess, no fuss.”

While the wearable computer has so far only been made available to a select few famous faces and tech commentators, its release has been surrounded by security and privacy concerns. Some critics are worried that it would make it too easy to collect video content, data and images of pretty much anything the user sees.

What remains to be seen is whether or not brands choose to embrace the new technology. The features that Google has showcased certainly offer plenty of potential, but until the device is put up for general sale, we’re unlikely to see this fulfilled.

Graeme Parton

Graeme has experience creating content for online sources and for the radio, and at university he studied Multimedia Journalism.