Project Starline by Google aims to augment the virtual meeting experience by bringing a three-dimensional aspect to online video communication.
Travel restrictions and lockdowns imposed due to the pandemic have made virtual meetings and remote work the norm these days. However, it cannot be argued that a two-dimensional experience of hearing and seeing someone on your screen can never equal a real-life encounter.
Therefore, Google came up with Project Starline to enhance the modes of virtual communication with the technology available today and upgrade the idea of seeing someone face-to-face virtually.
Clay Bavor, the lead for virtual and augmented reality projects at Google, said he wanted “full-on photo-realistic, volumetric video meetings that make it look, sound, and feel like the other person is sitting across the table from you—no headset required.”
Project Starline combines the latest developments in the fields of computer vision, machine learning, spatial audio, and real-time compression to allow people miles apart to give them a sense of true togetherness. What this refers to in practical terms is a technology-equipped video booth that both users can access from their respective locations.
As of now, the project has only been used to internally connect the company’s employees between the Bay Area, New York, and Seattle. However, Google has also experimented with a few demos with its select enterprise partners to collect valuable feedback that could help understand the potential uses and applications of this product.
However, the project is ongoing and not expected to be introduced commercially or for personal use anytime soon.
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