Progress with the Starline Project

Google has given an update on its Starline project in a blog post dated October 11, 2022. With this system, two people can hold a video conference in which the respective conversation partner is displayed as a 3D projection – a quasi-hologram. A display based on light field technology is used for this purpose. Several high-resolution cameras film the participants in real time. The company describes this process in a very non-technical or poetic way: “The technology works like a magic window, where users can talk, gesture and make eye contact with another person, life-size and in three dimensions. It is made possible through major research advances across machine learning, computer vision, spatial audio and light field display systems.” (Company News, 11 October 2022) The company hopes to improve hybrid working with Starline. Indeed, quasi-holograms would be interesting not only for concerts, but also for companies that allow and encourage homeworking or that are highly networked and distributed.