Google unveiled Project Tango, an experimental project from the company’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group. The group is working on a prototype smartphone that would analyze and map the full 3D environment of the device. In its current form, Tango is a 5-inch prototype Android smartphone powered in part by the Myriad 1, a low-powered, vision-processing chip custom designed by Movidius for Google. The accessory chip has the algorithms and process power to map surroundings in 3D without draining the phone’s battery. The sensors in the phone are capable of making more than 250 million 3D measurements every second, which are then used to build a 3D model of the phone’s surroundings. The phone could be used for many different activities that benefit from a 3D map. The most obvious example would be in realty or interior design where a user could easily scan a room and have its dimensions in minutes. The 3D maps could also help the visually impaired navigate unfamiliar buildings as well as provide gamers with a virtual playground in every room. The hardware includes custom APIs that provide developers with access to location data like the phone’s position, orientation, and depth. This information can be used by Android applications that are be written in Java, C++, or the Unity Game Engine. Tango is not a “final shipping product”, but it is far enough along that Google is ready to hand it out to developers. Google has 200 developer phone and will distribute those units to developers who are in the best position to take advantage of the technology. Developers can submit their credentials and application proposals to the ATAP group at the Project Tango web site. Continue reading
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