Google is counting on its North acquisition to help it get on the augmented reality bandwagon.

Following the acquisition of AR glasses firm North last year, Google may be ramping up its augmented reality ambitions. According to reports, Google is working on "a new generation of smart glasses."

According to The New York Times, Google is counting on its North acquisition to help it get on the augmented reality bandwagon.

The Mountain View, California-based internet titan bought the Canadian business in the summer of last year, reportedly to get a foothold in the smart glass market after its Google Glass experiment fizzled.

North was marketing the Focals smart glasses before the purchase. However, in December 2019, the company discontinued sales of the first-generation Focals, likely owing to poor market reaction. Following its acquisition by Google, it began previewing the second-generation Focals, although this has since been shelved.

Google isn't the only business that has lately entered the augmented reality wearables market. Meta has teamed up with Ray-Ban to produce Ray-Ban Stories, a set of smart spectacles similar to Snap's Spectacles that can shoot photographs and videos.

For the time being, there isn't much information available regarding the new AR project. However, with Google recently advertising for individuals to join its new augmented reality team and the creation of an augmented reality operating system, it's evident that the tech giant is moving into the metaverse.

However, whether Google's latest effort will materialize in consumer devices in 2022 remains to be seen.