We have already heard of funeral holograms and performances involving holograms and a mixed reality stage, but Google is now pushing the use of these 3D projected images in the workplace.
According to CNBC, Google plans to expand testing of its in-house Project Starline, video call booths where users can chat with hologram versions of their friends, coworkers, and family.
Project Starline Testing
Employees can now communicate with coworkers in the same way that R2-D2 did in Star Wars, thanks to Google's new feature. The project was started last year, with the company streamlining its functions over the next few months.
Google initiated the project to address the need for more technology to enhance the sense of belonging and togetherness. According to the company, despite the availability of many simplified and collaborative apps, nothing beats meeting and talking face-to-face.
The reason cited was what motivated Google to work on Project Starline. The company will use the project to combine breakthroughs in hardware and software to create life-size and three-dimensional images that can mimic natural human gestures, voice, and eye contact.
Project Starline also employs cutting-edge research in computer vision, machine learning, spatial audio, and real-time compression. Google enhances the feature by including a state-of-the-art light field display that generates a sense of volume and depth that can be experienced without the use of supplemental glasses or headsets. After all, the goal is to provide the most realistic experience possible.
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"One of the things we are most proud of is that as soon as you sit down and start talking, the technology fades into the background, and you can focus on what's most important: the person in front of you," Google stated.
Early Access Program
Since the project began, Google has been using Starline prototypes in many of its offices across the United States. Employees have reportedly used the hologram project for a variety of purposes, including meetings and employee onboarding.
Promising feedback from early testers came in the form of Google employees spending thousands of hours using Project Starline to do several important tasks, as well as comments noting how powerful the ability to make eye contact was, and how much more engaged and connected they felt using the program.
Google also mentioned additional interesting results in another blog post. For instance, when using Starline, users engaged in more nonverbal behaviors. Particularly, there were 50% more eyebrow movements, 25% more head nods, and 40% more hand gestures.
Additionally, when using Project Starline, participants tracked nearly 30% better when asked to recall specifics of a conversation or a meeting's agenda. Simply put, it has the potential to increase productivity.
In addition to connecting Google staff, the company also invited more than 100 business partners from industries like media, healthcare, and retail to demos at Google's offices and offer feedback on the experience and potential business applications of the project.
"The proliferation of hybrid work models is creating new opportunities to fundamentally rethink how we collaborate in the workplace," says Scott Morey, president of technology & innovation at WeWork.
