Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
As hybrid work expands its footprint, how we work and collaborate continues to evolve. We’re continuing to explore ways to bring teams together and facilitate employee connection from afar through technology. That’s why last year we announced Project Starline, a technology project that enables coworkers to feel like they are together, even when they are cities apart.
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.
Today, Project Starline prototypes are found in Google offices across the U.S., with employees using the technology every day for meetings, employee onboarding and building rapport between colleagues. Results show Project Starline can increase employee presence, attentiveness, and productivity compared to traditional video calling solutions. People have described the experience as a natural interaction — expressing how connected they felt to the other person sitting across from them.
Beyond Google employees, we’ve also invited more than 100 enterprise partners in areas like media, healthcare and retail to participate in demos at Google’s offices and provide us with feedback on the experience and applications to their businesses. We see many ways Project Starline can add business value across a number of industries, and we remain focused on making it more accessible.
“The proliferation of hybrid work models is creating new opportunities to fundamentally rethink how we collaborate in the workplace,” says Scott Morey, president of technology & innovation at WeWork. “Project Starline is at the forefront of this shift, providing an incredible user experience that bridges the gap between our physical and virtual worlds. At WeWork, we believe this technology has the potential to enrich the employee experience – making connections more intentional and meaningful.”
Today, we are expanding our testing efforts through an early access program with enterprise partners such as Salesforce, WeWork, T-Mobile and Hackensack Meridian Health. Starting this year, we’ll begin installing prototypes in select partner offices for regular testing.