(Credit: Google)
It’s taken years, but Google plans on finally commercializing its hyper-realistic video-conferencing technology in 2025.
Google today provided an update on Project Starline, which uses 3D imaging to make video calls feel more like in-person interactions. Google now says it’s preparing to partner with HP on the technology, which will work with Google Meet and third-party provider Zoom.
"Today we're excited to share that we’re bringing the technology out of the lab with a focus on connecting distributed teams and individuals in the workplace,” Google says in a blog post.
The statement suggests Google is focused on selling the technology to offices rather than individual consumers. That’s because the technology seems fairly expensive and requires high-resolution cameras and custom sensors. It works by creating a 3D model of the speaker and then projecting the video call over a custom panel, which can render light rays as if they exist in a three-dimensional space.
The results create the illusion that you’re talking to someone face-to-face. After debuting the technology in 2021, Google began trialing the system at select offices with partners such as T-Mobile, Salesforce, and WeWork in 2022.
The company has since concluded that Project Starline outperforms traditional video calls. "After thousands of hours of testing across Google offices and with enterprise partners, we found that meetings in Starline feel more like being in the same room instead of traditional video calls," the company says. “This leads to better attentiveness, memory recall, and an overall sense of presence. In Starline, people act like they’re in-person, not thousands of miles apart."
There’s no word on how much Project Starlink will cost. But in partnering with HP, Google cites Poly, the PC maker’s video-conferencing equipment business. The company will probably talk more about Project Starline at Google I/O, which starts tomorrow. Stay tuned for our coverage.