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They are the smart glasses that let wearers see information in their peripheral vision as well as take photos in the blink of an eye.

But while Google Glass may sound cool to tech-heads, the search giant's inability to offer its smart spectacles to the general public, means that the spy-movie worthy gadget is being ditched by developers.

After two years of wearing his pair to high-profile events, even Google co-founder Sergey Brin turned up without his pair to a Silicon Valley red-carpet event on Sunday, saying that he had left them in his car.

While Google Glass (pictured) may sound cool, the search giant's inability to offer its smart spectacles to the general public, means that the spy-movie worthy gadget is being ditched by developers

While Mr Brin, who heads up the secret lab which developed Glass, did recently wear them to the beach, his timing is not auspicious as many developers and early Glass users are losing interest in the much-hyped, $1,500 (£959) test version of Google Glass.

The spectacles comprise a camera, processor and stamp-sized computer screen mounted to the edge of eyeglass frames in order to show users information on the lenses.

Glass may have some specialised uses in the workplace but its prospects of becoming a consumer hit in the near future are slim according to many developers and Google has pushed back the roll out to the mass market.

Of 16 Glass app makers contacted by Reuters, nine said that they had stopped work on their projects or abandoned them, mostly because of the lack of customers or limitations of the device. Three more have switched to developing for business, leaving behind consumer projects.

Plenty of larger developers remain with Glass. Among the 100 apps available are Facebook, but Twitter recently defected.

Of 16 Glass app makers contacted by Reuters, nine said that they had stopped work on their projects or abandoned them, mostly because of the lack of customers or limitations of the device. This is despite Google trying to make its smart specs more fashionable. Frames designed by Diane von Furstenberg are shown

'If there was 200 million Google Glasses sold, it would be a different perspective. 

'There's no market at this point,' said Tom Frencel, the Chief Executive of Little Guy Games, which put development of a Glass game on hold this year and is looking at other platforms, including the Facebook-owned virtual-reality goggles Oculus Rift.

Several key Google employees instrumental to developing Glass have left the company in the last six months, including lead developer Babak Parviz. 

Google insists it is committed to Glass, with hundreds of engineers and executives working on it, as well as new fashion-focused boss Ivy Ross, a former Calvin Klein executive. Tens of thousands use Glass in the pilot consumer program.

'We are completely energised and as energised as ever about the opportunity that wearables and Glass in particular represent,' said Glass Head of Business Operations Chris O'Neill.

Google Glass was the first project to emerge from Google's X division, which is also creating self-driving cars.

It's thought that it will take time for such ground-breaking technologies, including wearables such as smartwatches and Glass to evolve into a products that click with consumers. 

'If there was 200 million Google Glasses sold, it would be a different perspective. There's no market at this point,' said Tom Frencel, the Chief Executive of Little Guy Games, which is looking at developing games for other platforms, including the Facebook Inc-owned virtual-reality goggles Oculus Rift (headset pictured)

Mobile game company Glu Mobile was one of the first to launch a game on Glass. While Spellista (pictured), a puzzler released a year ago, is still available, Glu has discontinued work on it, a spokesman for the company said, perhaps due to limited customers using Glass

'We are as committed as ever to a consumer launch. That is going to take time and we are not going to launch this product until it's absolutely ready,' Mr O'Neill said.

Mr Brin had predicted a launch this year, but 2015 is now the most likely date, a person familiar with the matter said.

After an initial burst of enthusiasm, signs that consumers are giving up on Glass have been building.

Google dubbed the first set of several thousand Glass users as 'explorers,' but as these people hit the streets, they drew stares and jokes.

Some people viewed the device, capable of surreptitious video recording, as an obnoxious privacy intrusion, deriding the once-proud explorers as 'Glassholes.'

'It looks super nerdy,' said Shvetank Shah, a Washington, DC-based consultant, whose Google Glass now gathers dust in a drawer. 'I'm a card carrying nerd, but this was one card too many.'

Glass now sells on eBay for as little as half list price, while some developers have claimed they felt unsupported by investors and even Google itself.

Google Glass was the first project to emerge from Google's X division, which is also creating self-driving cars (pictured). It's thought that it will take time for such ground-breaking technologies, including wearables such as smartwatches and Glass to evolve into a products that click with consumers

The lack of a launch date has given some developers the impression that Google still treats Glass as an experiment.

Matthew Milan, founder of Toronto-based software firm Normative Design, which put a Glass app for logging exercise and biking on hold, said: 'It's not a big enough platform to play on seriously.

Mobile game company Glu Mobile, known for its popular 'Kim Kardashian: Hollywood' title, was one of the first to launch a game on Glass.

While Spellista, a puzzler released a year ago, is still available, Glu has discontinued work on it, a spokesman for the company said.

But there are still some enthusiastic developers. Cycling and running app Strava finds Glass well-suited for its users, who want real-time data on their workouts, said David Lorsch, vice president of business development. And entrepreneur Jake Steinerman said it is ideal for his company, DriveSafe, which detects if people are falling asleep at the wheel. 

HOW DOES GOOGLE'S AUTONOMOUS CAR WORK? 

This graphic reveals how Google's prototype driverless car looks and works. The car makes turns and reacts to vehicles and pedestrians based on computer programs that predict what others might do, and data from sensors including radar and cameras that read, in real-time, what other objects are actually doing

The prototype two-seater cars have buttons to autonomously begin and end the drive.

The car makes turns and reacts to vehicles and pedestrians based on computer programs that predict what others might do, and data from sensors including radar and cameras that read, in real-time, what other objects are actually doing.

The route might be set by typing a destination into a map or using spoken commands according to Chris Urmson, the leader of Google's self-driving car team.

The car will be powered by electricity and could go about 100miles (160km) before charging.

Its shape suggests a rounded-out Volkswagen Beetle - something that might move people around a corporate campus or congested downtown - with headlights and sensors arrayed to resemble a friendly face.

The front of the vehicle has a soft foam-like material where a traditional bumper would be and a more flexible windscreen, in a bid to be safer for pedestrians.

In these prototypes speed is restricted to 25mph (40kph) and the ability to self-drive will depend on specifically designed Google road maps tested on the company's current fleet of vehicles.

Ultimately the vehicles will be faster and will be able to use Google's extended maps service. Driving works by using GPS technology to locate the vehicle's exact position on an electronic map.

A combination of radar, lasers and cameras sitting on top of the roof give the car a 360-degree 'view', with sensors linked to computer software able to 'see' and identify people, cars, road signs and markings and traffic lights.