The Guardian has reported that Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has released its 3D-mapping tablet Project Tango in the United Kingdom. This is the first time that the search engine giant has released the product on the European side of the world. Google announced this project last year, where it developed a tablet that has been fitted with different kind of sensors. These include a 4 megapixel motion-tracking camera and a 3D depth sensing sensor to help the device map out all the dimensions. The tablet uses other technologies that make it possible for the device to know its location in a 3-D style environment.
More so, the tablet is also fitted with an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a barometer to factor in data from other sources as well. While the device can use these three sensors to track movement, tablet rotation, and height, it also has a GPS, a compass, and a light sensor to differentiate between low light and high light environments.
The development kit is on for sale for $512, which will let app-makers explore the technology before it's released on a wider scale, as other companies also enter the market with their products. The Guardian reports that Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) has also joined the project by building its own software for the tablet.
The product manager for the project, Larry Yang, spoke to the publication and gave the example of a super market where the tablet could track the entire store and would direct a customer towards a product they are looking for. Developers will have the option of making apps that compliment outside and inside surroundings to help the user get to where he wants.
The tech world has come to a point where tech companies are expanding to manufacture cars. The auto industry is stagnant and companies like Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), Google, and possibly Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) are entering the race. While Tesla and Apple might not yet contemplate having autonomous cars, Google is already quite far ahead and something like Project Tango is already helping it move ahead. The ability of these cameras to map out 3D terrain will be quite helpful for the artificial intelligence in the cars to navigate around the roads in the city. While the perfect autonomous technology is still yet to arrive, Project Tango can be integrated in a lot of products around the world.
One such example would that be of a drone, consumer or military which would use Project Tango to map out the entire terrain alone without having to get a constant signal from the GPS. GPS technology works with satellites and there's moment when that doesn't work so well so a 3D model of the terrain ahead will be quite helpful. The aviation industry will also benefit from this move to a more advanced mapping system.
The formation of Google's parent company Alphabet has seen a lot of changes to and from the search engine giant. The company's Google Maps are hailed as one of the best apps out there. With Project Tango, the street view program will also expand substantially as the company will be able to now map out entire stadiums, supermarkets, and other places. It seems that current CEO Sundar Pichai's work is fast gaining traction.
Source: Google Inc. To Map Out UK With Release Of Project Tango Tablet
No comments:
Post a Comment