Project Starline is an experimental video communication method currently in development by Google that allows the user to see a 3D model of the person they are communicating with. Google announced the product at its 2021 I/O developer conference, saying that it will allow users to "talk naturally, gesture and make eye contact" [1] by utilizing machine learning, spatial audio, computer vision and real-time compression to create the 3D effect without the user wearing typical virtual reality goggles. [2] The goal is to make the user feel as if they are in the same room with the other user. [3] [4]
Project Starline had been in development for more than five years prior to the official announcement on May 18, 2021. [5] [6] The technology is currently only available in a small number of Google's offices, but the company plans to begin collaborating with certain partners in the next year, [7] particularly partners in the healthcare and media industries. [8] [ better source needed ]
In November 2021, the project was reorganized under a new division called Google Labs (unrelated to the defunct service of the same name) along with Area 120 and Google's AR and VR efforts. [9] Google will begin testing the technology with corporations such as Salesforce and T-Mobile beginning in late 2022. [10]
The current implementation of Project Starline is a booth that the user sits in, facing a 65 in (170 cm) "light field display," [7] surrounded by depth sensors, cameras, and lights. [5] [11] Light field technology is a photography technique that captures the direction of light as well as its intensity and color to enable more effective 3D imaging. [12] The user can then view another user on the display in 3D and vice versa. Google says it plans to "make this technology more affordable and accessible." [2]
Jay Peters of The Verge was impressed by a demo of Project Starline, comparing it to "real life science fiction". [13]
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment, education and business. Other distinct types of VR-style technology include augmented reality and mixed reality, sometimes referred to as extended reality or XR, although definitions are currently changing due to the nascence of the industry.
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Google I/O is an annual developer conference held by Google in Mountain View, California. The name "I/O" is taken from the number googol, with the "I" representing the "1" in googol and the "O" representing the first "0" in the number. The format of the event is similar to Google Developer Day.
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Area 120 is Google's in-house incubator in which employees work on 20% Project product ideas. It has helped develop Gmail, AdSense, Google News, and Google Cardboard.
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