Google’s Advanced Technology And Projects (ATAP) group is easily one of the most exciting divisions we know about at Google. The teams there are working on nothing short of shaping our future, and some of the technologies they’re developing seem like they are straight out of a science fiction movie. In fact, some of them are straight out of a science fiction movie.
Earlier this month at the annual Google I/O conference, the company showed off a number of exciting ATAP projects currently in development, and we discussed a few of the most exciting ones in our earlier coverage (you really have to check it out).
One of them in particular deserves to be revisited, however, because it really is mind-blowing.
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Try to wrap your head around this: In the not-so-distant future, you might not have to touch anything anymore to control it.
How crazy is that?
Technology developed by companies like Leap Motion are terrific. They let us control computers simply with movements and gestures performed in mid air. A sensor then interprets those movements and instantly translates them into commands. It’s like Minority Report, but scaled down to where you can control a laptop computer instead of a giant screen that takes up a whole room.
Now, imagine scaling that down to the point where this technology can be used to control anything.
It sounds crazy, but that is the future Google is working toward. And it’s not crazy… it’s going to happen. And Project Soli, one of the many exciting ATAP projects Google gave us a glimpse of earlier this month, will likely play a huge role in making this technology a reality.
Look at this GIF, which was pulled from Google’s Soli demo video by Airows:
Here’s another one:
Think about what technology like this would mean for device design, and for user interface design. Consumer electronics of the future, from televisions and telephones to microwaves and toasters, could be completely unrecognizable. Things like Kinect and Leap Motion paved the way, but Project Soli will use advances in chip and sensor technology to really push things to the next level.
The full Project Soli demo video can be rewatched below.
