Announced 'Project Starline' to develop 'magic mirror' as if Google is actually talking face-to-face even if it is far away
The new coronavirus has restricted travel around the world, and remote work has increased rapidly, and opportunities to communicate face-to-face with people have decreased dramatically. In order to improve this situation, Google announced ' Project Starline ' to develop a new communication tool that makes it feel like you are actually talking face-to-face even if you are in a remote location.
Project Starline: Feel like you're there, together
This is Project Starline. Years in the making, it works like a magic window, bringing you together with friends, family, and coworkers, even when you're cities (or countries) apart. https://t.co/mtisR5xVhT pic .twitter.com/CtNmBoHhRm
— Clay Bavor (@claybavor) May 18, 2021
There are many services for communicating with people remotely, such as e-mail, video chat tools, and photo sharing services, but they are completely different from face-to-face communication.
In order to solve this, Google is working on 'Project Starline' to develop tools that can communicate with people in remote areas as if they were actually there by making full use of technology. Google describes the tool developed by Project Starline as a 'magic mirror', and it is possible to talk naturally through this mirror, communicate through gestures, and make eye contact.
Still in the early stages of development, Project Starline requires custom hardware and highly specialized equipment. However, it has already been piloted in some Google offices and is undergoing internal testing.
You can check how you actually use Project Starline in the following movie.
Darling and Chi Chi are actually sisters, but the last time they met in person was over a year ago. Therefore, Darling has never met Chichi's son Kareon in person.
Therefore, the Project Starline development team invited multiple ``people who have not met directly for a long time'' such as Mr. Darling and Mr. Chichi to conduct a test.
'You look at a magic mirror, and another person appears through this mirror,' said Steve Sites, engineering director of Project Starline.
Mr. Darling is in the Bay Area of California.
Chi Chi, on the other hand, lives in New York.
Two people who should be far away will be able to communicate as if they were next to each other.
Other test users enjoy conversations as if they were face-to-face.
Jason Lawrence, also a developer of Project Starline, commented, ``You can communicate in the same way as when you are physically together.''
Three breakthroughs were required to bring Project Starline to life. The first is 3D imaging technology, which captures people as they are.
The second is 'real-time compression technology'. This real-time compression technology enables efficient data transmission over existing networks.
The third is 'rendering technology' for faithfully reproducing the transmitted 3D image.
It also applies the latest research in other technologies such as computer vision, machine learning, and spatial audio, making it possible to communicate in sign language as if it were a face-to-face meeting.
Project Starline is developing a 'groundbreaking light field display system' that can render 3D images with a sense of volume and depth without additional devices such as smart glasses or headsets.
In addition, Project Starline is conducting demonstrations not only for Google's office but also for enterprise partners selected from some industries such as healthcare and media, and is collecting feedback on tools and applications. In addition, the company plans to roll out a trial with an enterprise partner in the second half of 2021.
The immediate goal for Google is to make Project Starline more affordable and accessible.
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Publish the latest prototype of ``Project Starline'' that develops a ``magic mirror'' as if Google is actually talking face-to-face with a distant person - GIGAZINE
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