Google Previews Freakishly Lifelike Video Calls With 3D Doubles Of Loved Ones
Image via Google
Video call apps have begun to embrace simulated spaces that seemingly place everyone in the same room. However, these attempts still aren’t that convincing. Google appears to have the solution for in-person gatherings without people being physically around each other: 3D-depth clones.
The newly-unveiled technology, dubbed Project Starline, might be apt for a remote work-based era where just about everything has been taken online, but it has been in the making “for a few years,” shared Google VP Clay Bavor. The team merged hardware and software innovations to simulate the look of your friend, relative, or coworker being seated in front of you, “even when they’re cities (or countries) apart.”
Aside from working with video cameras, Project Starline relies on a depth camera that generates 3D depth maps of call participants in real-time. The video and depth data is then compressed, transferred to the internet, and then processed to create hyperrealistic 3D versions of people on the fly.
For an added tier of realism, the technology utilizes light field displays, which process volume and depth at different angles. This allows cameras to capture micromovements of a person and recreate them in 3D.
“Imagine looking through a sort of magic window, and through that window, you see another person, life-size and in three dimensions,” explained Bavor. “You can talk naturally, gesture and make eye contact.”
As of now, Project Starline is merely explorative, as the technology required to power it is quite expensive. Nevertheless, this shouldn’t be the end of your journey with the project as Google mentions that more details will be unveiled in the near future.
“We’re really excited about the progress we’re making with Project Starline, and the technology’s potential to solve the important problem of wanting to be together with someone even when you physically can’t,” Bavor noted. “We look forward to sharing more later this year.”
Image via Google
Image via Google
Image via Google
Image via Google
Image via Google
[via Gizmodo, video and images via Google]
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