Google’s elaborate video chat booths will be more than just a clever design exercise in the near future. According to Ars Technica, the company will begin installing Project Starline prototypes in the offices of some of its corporate partners for “regular” testing later this year. In other words, Google will look beyond on-campus demonstrations to see how its “magic windows” work.
Salesforce, T-Mobile, and WeWork are among the program’s partners. Over 100 companies from healthcare, media and retail participated in the in-house demos.
Project Starline is essentially an attempt to develop a natural-feeling telepresence system. Each participant sits in a booth with an array of cameras and infrared projectors that create a realistic 3D depiction, as well as spatial audio capture that makes it appear as if the voice is coming from the digital persona’s mouth. When combined with head tracking and a 65-inch, 8K glasses-free display, the system creates the illusion that the other person is sitting directly in front of you. This should result in more effortless meetings than staring at a computer monitor with a webcam.
Of course, the question is whether the early access program will result in installations at your workplace’s boardroom or the local store. While Google has not specified the price of a Project Starline booth, the technology is inherently expensive and takes up a lot of space. Smaller businesses may struggle to justify this when off-the-shelf computers may suffice. The timing is also not ideal. While remote and hybrid work has grown in popularity, Starline is on the rise as more people return to in-person interaction. The audience for the technology isn’t nearly as large as it might have been a year ago, and we don’t expect it to grow any time soon.