Google is encouraging developers to design and develop apps for its Google Glass wearable computing platform using the existing Android SDK.

Although the Android SDK doesn’t provide all the tools necessary to build apps fully optimised for Glass, it allows developer to try out ideas before the full Google Glass development kit arrives.

The company announced at its Google I/O developer conference that it is working on a Glass Development Kit that will allow developer to build software for Google Glass in the form of APKs (application package files).

Some of the features that will appear in the GDK are already supported by the Android SDK, including access to the accelerometer and the ability to play media.

Google has also written some APK samples, including a stopwatch, a level and a compass, with more due to be launched in the next few weeks. Once the GDK arrives, these samples will be updated to show the migration path between Android apps and a “full Glass experience”.

A blog post by the Glass Developer Relations team said developers’ backgrounds in using Android will allow them to get “a long way” in building apps for Glass.

Android beginners, meanwhile, are encouraged to learn about general development on the platform to prepare for the launch of the GDK.