In a move that is sure to cause confusion, Google Glass has reportedly been renamed Project Aura, Digital Spy reports.

News of the rebranding did not come from the web giant itself, but the usually-reliable Wall Street Journal.

The source claims that Project Aura has been spun off into a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's new parent company.

Project Aura is not to be confused with Project Ara, the name Google has given to the modular smartphones it's been working on for a while now.

Google wound up its Google Glass Explorer programme early this year and took the project back to the drawing board.

Nest boss Tony Fadell has been charged with overseeing the future of the headset, working alongside designer Ivy Ross following a management reshuffle.