Google is starting again from scratch with its Glass project, with no plans to show it to the public until its commercial launch, according to a news report.
The New York Times reports that Google Glass wants to “redesign the product from scratch and not release it until it is complete”.
Sales of the controversial smart spectacles were halted in January and development of the prototype was also believed to have been stopped.
Glass is now overseen by Ivy Ross, a jewellery designer who runs Google’s smart-eyewear division and Tony Fadell, a former Apple product executive.
“Early Glass efforts have broken ground and allowed us to learn what’s important to consumers and enterprises alike,” Fadell said in a statement.
“I am excited to be working with Ivy to provide direction and support as she leads the team and we work together to integrate those learnings into future products,” the statement read.
The report quotes an adviser to Fadell as saying: “There will be no public experimentation. Tony is a product guy and he’s not going to release something until it’s perfect.”
First revealed in 2011, Google Glass made a big impact in mid-2012 when the company demonstrated it at its developers’ conference using skydivers and stunt cyclists.
It was distributed to a select group of people as part of Explorer programme who paid $1,500 to be early adopters.
According to the report, many working on the device were unhappy with this exposure because it meant its final development had to take place in public.
The newspaper said the controversy the project gained gave rise to tensions among the development team, forcing some key researchers to leave.