This incident might seem a little funny if not for the fact that it actually happened. Let’s just hope it’s not indicative of things to come.

Dr. Steve Mann invented what could be seen as a precursor to Google Glass: the EyeTap Digital Eye Glass. He’s been wearing some form or another of this device for over thirty years. It’s permanently attached to his head and can only be removed with special tools. He carries documentation with him that explains what the device is as well as a letter from his physician, presumably explaining why Mann uses the head wear. Apparently, this documentation did nothing for the three men in a Paris McDonald’s who ripped up the papers and assaulted Mann, for no other discernible reason than he was wearing the EyeTap.

The entire situation is sad and frustrating, primarily because, based on Mann’s account, the men had no real primary motivation other than just being bullies. They tried to forcibly remove the headset before shoving Mann through the door of the McDonald’s restaurant.

Mann isn’t seeking any money outside of what it would take to get his headset fixed. The EyeTap captured images of all three assailants as well as two possible witnesses. While Mann doesn’t explicitly state that the men worked for McDonald’s, he does note that one was wearing a McDonald’s shirt while another was holding a broom and a dust pan. This seems to be a real David versus Goliath situation, but let’s hope that some form of justice is doled out.

“I don’t have the resources to take on a branch of a large multi-national corporation operating in a distant country, but I could use some help and advice as to how to resolve this matter, how to ensure it doesn’t happen again to me or anyone else wearing Eye Glass, and what can be done to advance Digital Eye Glass research in not just the technological realm, but also the realm of social responsibility and culture and technology.”

via The Verge

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