As the world prepares for the Metaverse, Google’s preparing to bring us all into it in their own way. ‘Project Starline’ is the codename for Google’s big idea, a technological innovation that will allow friends, families, and co-workers to virtually be together even when they’re cities (or countries) apart.
Google observed an increase in some of the most crucial signals that are often missed in video chats, including attentiveness, memory recall, and an overall sensation of presence, during a ‘Project Starline’ test.
“Project Starline is the culmination of advances we’ve made across 3D imaging, real-time compression, spatial audio, and our breakthrough light field display system that, when combined, enables a sense of depth and realism that feels like in-person communication,” the company said in a release.
Google first revealed its plans for ‘Project Starline’ in May of this year at Google I/O 2021. ‘Project Starline’ was then used by Google employees for thousands of hours to onboard, interview, and meet new teammates, propose ideas to peers, and engage in one-on-one interactions. People used 40% more hand gestures, 25% more head nods, and 50% more brow motions in non-verbal communication.
People who used Project Starline had substantially superior memory recall, tracking approximately 30% better when asked to recall aspects of a discussion or the topic of a meeting, according to the research.
In an eye-tracking trial, people focused 15% more on their meeting partner, demonstrating that utilising ‘Project Starline’ improves visual attentiveness.
In a blog post, Andrew Nartker, Director, Product Management, said, “These early results show promise for Project Starline’s capacity to promote deeper personal relationships from afar.” We can’t wait to get our hands on this piece of tech, and take it for a test ride ourselves.
