Andrew Heinzman
Remote schooling is difficult for everyone, especially kids who aren’t natural-born math wizards. To make things easier, Google is adding a homework-solving feature to Google Lens. Simply point your camera at an equation, and Lens brings up step-by-step guides and explainers to help kids push through their homework.
In addition to the new Google Lens homework filter, Google is adding 100 augmented-reality models to its mobile Google Search results. The new AR models are STEM-related, so your kid can quickly visualize tough concepts like the Pythagorean theorem. Simply look up a STEM-related word in your phone’s browser and click the fancy looking AR model.
The new Google Lens ‘homework’ feature sounds like something that I needed in school. I’m not good at memorizing and applying equations, but I can blow through some math homework after a teacher or peer helps me understand how a math problem works. Looking up answers through Google Lens sounds a bit cheater-ish, but it isn’t too different from sitting down with a student and holding their hand through a problem.
Google Lens’ homework-solving feature uses technology from the Socratic mobile learning app, which Google acquired last year. We aren’t sure when the Google Lens update rolls out, but Socratic already has these camera scanning features and is available for iOS and Android.
