Google's 'Project Tango' Set to Produce Revolutionary Tablet with 3D Imaging Capabilities
Google has yet another amazing technological advancement under way with its Project Tango - an attempt to bring full-featured 3D image capturing and rendering to mobile devices.
According to the Wall Street journal, the search engine turned tech superpower is set to begin a production round next month that will manufacture about 4,000 tablets with 3D imaging capabilities.
In February Google unveiled a 3D imaging smartphone prototype, which they then shipped out to a team of about 200 developers and researchers in March.
3D Imaging Tablet Specs and Details
The new 3D-ready tablet will be able to capture and render 3-dimensional images using infrared sensors to gauge the depth, location, and dimensions of surrounding objects.
Although official size dimensions, computing properties, and other specs have not yet been released, we expect the tablets to make use of the latest and greatest processor and display technology.
Phones and Tablets that Can Comprehend Space and Motion
Google has stated that Project Tango is part of the ongoing effort to create mobile devices that can view and comprehend the physical world in the same way the human eye can.
The goal is apparently to produce devices that have a human level understanding of space and motion. This could lead to the development of some very useful high-tech motion sensing apps as well as an improvement in facial recognition.
An Abundance of Uses and Applications
Although the new 3D devices will inevitably have many uses, one of the primary reasons Google launched this project is probably to better assist in their ongoing mapping efforts.
Imagine being able to snap a picture with your phone and have it instantly tell you how far away the nearest object is, its approximate size, and various other properties about the contents of the photo.
Another use for the new technology will be quick and easy mapping of indoor environments. For example, you could take a picture of your living room or yard and then upload the 3D map directly into a home decorating or landscaping app.
Google Leading a Brave New Frontier in 21st Century Tech
As Google attempts to create devices that can "perceive the world the same way we do" they are also in the process of creating autonomous driving software that can pilot driverless vehicles and smart contacts that can record video with a microscopic camera lens.
While other companies have already introduced mobile devices with 3D imaging capabilities in the recent past - Sony launched a less advanced one in 2011 - with Google's name, reputation, and work ethic behind the product we're likely to see 3D-ready mobile devices reach the mainstream markets in the next couple years.
With each new invention and unveiling we're getting closer to the incredibly futuristic world that tech pundits have been imagining and talking about for decades.
