In the latest Project Tango news, Google’s experimental Advanced Technologies and Projects (ATAP) group unveiled a prototype tablet on Thursday with depth-sensing capabilities. The tablet will allow users to generate 3D representations of their surrounding space in real time. The development kit, available in limited supply, will cost $1,024 for developers that meet the requirements.
According to ATAP project lead Johnny Lee, the technology is “designed to allow the [tablet] to track its motion in full 3D, in full time, as you hold it.” To enable this, the tablet comes with a 4MP sensor camera, a motion-tracking camera, and a depth sensor. The hardware, made in close collaboration with Nvidia, features Nvidia’s latest Tegra K1 processor. It also packs 4GBs of RAM, 128GB of storage, with WiFi, BTLE, and 4G LTE capabilities.
The ATAP team, in collaboration with several partners, dreams of a future in which 3D-mapping can be used to enhance our lives. The mapping capabilities will help to bridge the gap between the current three-dimensional world we live in and the limited two-dimensional screens of our devices, resulting in creative applications that will make many things easier. For example, the technology can be used to give auditory cues to the visually impaired, helping them navigate unfamiliar places more easily. Or when shopping for furniture, users will be able to bring up a virtual map of their home and better visualize where the new piece of furniture will go.
If you’re a developer and are interested in creating applications and APIs with the development kit, you can sign up for early access here. What would you do with a 3D-mapping tablet?
