The future of video chat may be here sooner than anyone thought with Google’s introduction of its Project Starline.
Google has been working on Project Starline for several years, but this is the first time it has shown the application in a practical way. The platform combines specialized hardware and computer vision to create a window to see a life-sized 3D image of the person that is being chatted with.
In the video, Google demonstrates the technology with pairs of families that test out Project Starline, showing the opposite end of the video call, which appears as if the person is sitting next to them. And it is all accomplished without the need for specialty glasses or headsets.
“To make this experience possible, we are applying research in computer vision, machine learning, spatial audio and real-time compression,” Google said in a blog post. “We've also developed a breakthrough light field display system that creates a sense of volume and depth that can be experienced without the need for additional glasses or headsets.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic is reaching controllable levels in the U.S. and other countries, this could be a solution to seeing friends and family in a lifelike way if another pandemic happens or if another COVID-19 wave occurs. Additionally, this could change how work is done outside of a traditional office when meeting one-to-one or in groups.
Currently, Project Starline is available in a few Google offices and relies on custom-built hardware, so the chances of it going mainstream soon are unlikely. However, Google said the goal is to make the technology more affordable and accessible in the future.
Google is currently testing the technology with connected colleagues in the Bay Area, New York and Seattle and will conduct demos with enterprise partners in regions of healthcare and media in trial deployments later this year.
