At this point, most of us are used to remote, virtual meetings via services like Zoom or Google Meet. Now, Google is rolling out a new option: holographic meetings. Dubbed “Project Starline”, Google says it’s “a technology project that enables coworkers to feel like they are together, even when they are cities apart.”
First announced in 2021, the technology is now being rolled out to select companies for testing. The technology uses “research in computer vision, machine learning, spatial audio and real-time compression” as well as “a breakthrough light field display system that creates a sense of volume and depth that can be experienced without the need for additional glasses or headsets”.
There is a catch though: the tool “relies on custom-built hardware and highly specialized equipment.”
Though billed as a remote work solution, in its current iteration the product seems unlikely to be helpful to home-based workers. That begs the question, “Do we need this?” Does it really provide value that we can’t get from a traditional video call that has fewer barriers to use?
Do you think hologram technology will revolutionize remote work?
