Google Project Starline Is A Holographic Video Conference System, And You Can't Have It

Google revealed a sort of behind-the-scenes look at a project they're working with for video conferencing. This system is currently called Project Starline, and it works with both high resolution cameras and "custom built depth sensors." Using a breakthrough light field display," users will be able "talk naturally, gesture, and make eye contact."

Google showed Project Starline at Google I/O 2021 and made it look like magic. Using 3D sensors, cameras, and an advanced and gigantic display, they made it appear like two people were sitting on opposite sides of a barrier glass. It looked incredible.

This system requires "many gigabits per second" to wrap imagery around a 3D model, captured on one end of the system and delivered on the other. It's like both sides of the conversation are being captured with a 3D scan, over and over again, very quickly, and shown to the person on the other end of the conversation near-instantaneously.

This should allow far more realistic holographic conference availability for the masses if Google ever gets it all to a point where it wont be prohibitively expensive. This is the same sort of thing we used to say about virtual reality headsets – and look where we are now!

At the moment, Google is using this video conferencing system in their own offices. It is not yet "authorized by FCC rules" and no sales of this device or this system of devices is yet available for sale to the public.