Google Reveals “The Physical Web” Project To Provide “Interaction On Demand”

In an ambitious move, Google has announced a project called The Physical Web, based on the concept of providing “interaction on demand” so that anyone can walk up and use any smart device without the need for intervening mobile apps. For example, imagine walking up to a bus stop and receiving the time that the next bus will arrive without needing any additional software. Google hopes to make this a reality over the coming period.

This ambitious project assumes what a lot of industry insiders are assuming, which is explosive growth in connected devices over the next few years. Cisco has predicted that there will be a staggering 50 billion Internet-connected gadgets being used by 2020, with Intel suggesting that the number could be as high as 15 billion by next year.

Google’s project is being spearheaded by Scott Jenson, an interaction and UX designer who left the company but subsequently returned to the Chrome team last November. If the project is successful, it will make it much easier for people to interact with the growing web of connected devices that exist.

“People should be able to walk up to any smart device – a vending machine, a poster, a toy, a bus stop, a rental car – and not have to download an app first,” explains Jenson. “Everything should be just a tap away.”

The aim of The Physical Web project is to create a standard that can be used by everyone and that is open, in a similar manner to the basic building blocks of the web. The possibilities for the increased usefulness of connected devices with this open strategy are massive, but Apple has already taken steps towards its own proprietary version of this type of technology with iBeacon and with its new contextually relevant app suggestions in iOS 8.

However, if The Physical Web becomes the standard, how will it change the mobile strategies of marketers? Certainly, if the project comes to fruition, it will be many years from now, and the likelihood is that many other aspects of digital marketing will have changed in the meantime. The constantly evolving nature of everything digital means that businesses have to continually shift their gears to utilize the latest technologies. Perhaps The Physical Web will eventually make many mobile apps obsolete? If so, businesses will need to alter their products and services to be able to serve valuable information without the need for an app, but it’s far too early to determine exactly where Google’s project will end up. Several other companies, including Wink, are also trying to figure out the best method for connecting smart devices, either through a hub or a central app, although Google’s focus on creating an open ecosystem is a very compelling possibility.

Jenson talks about some practical applications of the proposed standards on the project webpage, including parking meters and vending machines that offer quick and app-less payments, universal physical retail shopping experiences and a ZipCar rental system that works via the signs advertising the parking spaces themselves. These are exciting prospects for the future of connectivity, and if an open concept such as Google’s truly becomes the standard, it could provide an even playing field for control over the system.