Future in the eyes of Google- Know about Latest Technologies!
Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic.
— Sir Arthur C. ClarkeWe all love Sci-Fi movies very much. We get dumbfounded by watching myriad range of technological elements embedded in movies by directors to make movie scientifically and amazingly exciting and different than usual. We can see things moving with a gesture of hand, an army of robots trying to command humans and so on. In the real world also, the technology is changing at a much faster rate than one can imagine. Drones delivering pizzas, eye scanning passwords, virtual reality, internet of things, etc are very few examples to state here. Now let us see, how some of the ideas of the reel world seem to be the future real world in the eyes of Google!
Just imagine that things in your surroundings are responding to gestures of your hand!! Till now, we have been using smartphones. But time is not far away when we will be wearing smart fabrics that would respond to touch and gestures!!
Google has come up with many eye-opening technologies and ideas recently at official developer's conference I/O (Input/Output) at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The initiatives come as Google continues to expand the scope of its products beyond its juggernaut search engine. Its search and advertising business is still the most dominant in the world, making more than $50 billion a year. But as the Internet evolves, CEO Larry Page has been looking to where future revenue streams will come from.
The company especially wants to make a big push in infusing its software into every aspect of consumers' lives. So, lets read ahead more to see what are the on-going latest projects Google is working on!
Various Projects at Google!
1. Project Soli
Google wants to bring touchscreen controls to your clothing. Project Soli is a tiny radar sensor to detect gestures without touching anything.
When you say the word "wearable," Google wants to broaden the scope of what comes to mind. Sure, it means smartwatches and eyewear, but the company wants to go even simpler than that: t-shirts, pants, socks -- basically anything made of cloth.
The idea for Soli is that the way we control our phones -- by touching, tapping and swiping -- can be applied to other things. To do that, Google developed small, radar-based sensors that respond to hand movements.
"Your hand can be a complete, self-contained interface control," said Ivan Poupyrev, who leads the projects for Google's Advanced Technology and Projects, or ATAP, division. "It's always with you." That technology could be applied to small screens like smartwatches.
2. Project Vault
Google is working in Project Vault which aims at making micro SD card as digital security system for mobile devices. The time is not far when MicroSD card will be serving as security powerhouse which is just recognized as storage system by mobiles and computers till now.
Big Security, Small Package!
The Vault card is essentially a secure computer that protects the personal information of a phone's owner. For example, it can encrypt, or scramble, chat messages from an app and provide extra levels of authentication, so your device knows that you are you. The card itself has a near-field communication, or NFC, chip for communicating with nearby devices and has 4 gigabytes of storage.
Google will first develop the technology for enterprise companies. The idea is that if it meets the high bar of big companies, it will meet the standards of consumers as well.
Both Web and mobile security are becoming increasingly vulnerable at a time when more and more consumers' financial and other sensitive data is being stored in smartphone apps and online services. Hackers have conducted high-profile attacks on retailers like Target and have pilfered databases in the health care and financial industries, gleaning medical records, social Security numbers and credit and bank info. And thanks to the leaks from whistle blower Edward Snowden, we now know the extent to which communications and online activity are monitored and stored by way of government surveillance.
The development of secure ways to communicate and store data is a priority for Google as more users flock to its free services like the Gmail email service, Chrome Web browser and Google Maps, all of which share data with Google to better inform its advertising products.
3. Project Jacquard
Project Jacquard makes it possible to weave touch and gesture interactivity into any textile using standard, industrial looms. Everyday objects such as clothes and furniture can be transformed into interactive surfaces.
Jacquard yarn structures combine thin, metallic alloys with natural and synthetic yarns like cotton, polyester, or silk, making the yarn strong enough to be woven on any industrial loom. Most surprising element is that the Jacquard yarns are indistinguishable from the traditional yarns that are used to produce fabrics today. Sensor grids can be woven throughout the textile, creating large and interactive surfaces.
Innovative techniques are developed to attach conductive yarns to connectors and tiny circuits, not larger than the button on a jacket. These miniaturized electronics capture touch interactions, and various gestures can be inferred using machine-learning algorithms. Captured touch and gesture data is wirelessly transmitted to mobile phones or other devices to control a wide range of functions, connecting the user to online services, apps, or phone features. LEDs, haptics, and other embedded outputs provide feedback to the user, seamlessly connecting them to the digital world.
The company is partnering with fashion brand Levi's on the project. Google plans to work the technology into clothes first, but the possibilities go way beyond that.
4. Project Brillo
This project aims to become the software platform that powers every disparate device in the so-called Internet of Things, a catch-all phrase meaning any and every device outfitted with sensors and designed to talk to one another, everything from blenders to baby toys and thermostats.
The Brillo software will be able to run on low-power devices and communicate with other Brillo-enabled devices nearby.
Internet-connected garments certainly fall in that category. But smart clothing isn't new. Other companies have tried out Internet-connected garments. Last May, Intel announced a smart shirt made from conductive fibers that measure your heart rate and send information to your smartphone. Another company, Montreal-based OMsignal, makes sensor-packed clothes that can track your vital signs.
5. Project Ara
Project Ara is all about ‘Modular Phone’! It’s an ultimate form of customization. It brings tremendous flexibility to phone owners, both in terms of specs they want and in terms of cost. One gets exciting possibilities with Ara phone of swapping in specialized components. Hence one can pack in different modules for different activities. High end parts will cost more, but for those shopping on budget, flexibility is there to pick specs one wants and choice of spending the money so that one can save. That could potentially save one money over a phone with all-around high-end parts.
Why one would be needing it? If you have ever wished you could pick from a pile of parts and make your own smartphone , Project Ara is your Android wish come true.
It aims to let consumers build their own smartphones out of mix-and-match components that snap together like Lego bricks.
Google has made Spiral 2 Prototype at Google’s Silicon valley headquarters. There are eight interchangeable modules. The goal is that owners will be able to put any module anywhere on the phone so that camera can live in any square you find most convenient.
Project Ara Prototype : Spiral 2
6. Project Tango
Project Tango brings a new kind of spatial perception to the Android device platform by adding advanced computer vision, image processing and specialized sensors, tracking the full 3D motion of the device and capturing the shape of the environment in real-time.
Technology involves following areas:
- Motion Tracking :Motion tracking allows a device to understand position and orientation using Project Tango's custom sensors. This gives you real-time information about the 3D motion of a device.
- Depth Perception: Depth sensors can tell you the shape of the world around you. Understanding depth lets your virtual world interact with the real world in new ways.
Project Tango devices can use visual cues to help recognize the world around them. They can self-correct errors in motion tracking and relocalize in areas they've seen before.
Click here to buy Project Tango's Development Kit!!
Future Technology!
So lots of exciting and marvelous technologies are discussed here as revealed in Google I/O 2015. A technocrat after reading this article must be feeling all encouraged to explore different areas of technologies. One can embed any of the above technologies in making Apps, Video games, websites and so on!
There has been increasing research in use of Augmented Reality in Apps and video games. Modular smartphone (Project Ara) is said to arrive worldwide in August 2015 which is totally a new concept for customers. Customization of mobile phone is going to be something very unique and exciting for all of us!
Internet of Things (IoT) is another very much researched technology now a days. IoT is a world where things are connected among themselves, they interact with each other and monitor every aspect of daily life, without need of direct human intervention! It's a system that focuses on how machines talk with each other. For sure, it would not be an exaggeration to claim that nearly everyone appears to be excited for the potential of IoT. Many companies are even counting on the day when everything in your house, from bed to refrigerator, will automatically gather and analyze relevant data to make your tasks (and your life) easier!
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Also, which of the Google projects did you find most exciting that you are waiting for its launch most eagerly! Just vote now your most favorite project you studied in this article!