Initially unveiled at the Google I/O conference in 2021, Project Starline promised to revolutionize videoconferencing. To advance this, Google and HP have joined forces, but its commercialization is not for now.
The result of cutting-edge engineering, Project Starline is a technology based on 3D capture, a special screen and spatialized sound to create the illusion of the physical presence of a person face to face. A device intended to revolutionize videoconferencing and simulate the presence of interlocutors in the same room while they communicate remotely. Starline has since evolved significantly since its first announcement, and Google has just joined forces with the giant HP to bring it to fruition. The latter should finally be available from the year 2025.
A strategic collaboration
If Google chose to partner with HP, it is not by chance: this strategic alliance clearly aims to take advantage of HP’s historical know-how in manufacturing high-quality hardware as well as its global distribution network. . Founded in 1939, the company has built a solid reputation over the decades, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. A period during which it developed calculators and personal computers far ahead of their time.
“ We are excited to collaborate with Google to commercialize this revolutionary technology and harness the power of AI to shape the future of collaboration said Alex Cho, president of personal systems at HP. This partnership aims to democratize Starline among businesses, drawing on the company’s expertise in hardware and distribution.
Intensive and promising tests
Since its public reveal, Google has devoted considerable effort to perfecting Starline, conducting thousands of hours of rigorous testing internally. She also collaborated with anonymous partners to test her system. The results of these tests are rather encouraging.
Starline users felt more focused and engaged during video calls compared to a traditional video conference; a reduction in distractions which potentially improved the quality of exchanges. Apparently, people who tested the device reported better memorization of information exchanged during calls. An effect due to the immersive nature of the experience?
Another point noted: a greater impression of proximity and connection with their interlocutors, as if they were really physically present in the same room. An impression that Google describes with the metaphor of “ magic window “, through which users can interact with each other as if they were really next to each other.
The combination of Google’s expertise in AI/software and that of HP in hardware and logistics will certainly give a good boost to the Starline project. A synergy which will probably improve the credibility of the project among interested companies.
Sources: Neowin, The Verge
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