Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is moving ahead apace with its Project Tango 3D advanced mobile vision device. According to recent reports, they are planning on launching a tablet version of the device next month. The initial production run is going to be 4,000 beta units. The new device will be equipped with several cameras, including two on the back of the unit, with infra red sensors, to allow the tablet to calculate depth. This will allow the 7-inch screen device, to map space in three dimensions.
The first Project Tango device was produced back in February, when Google issued a 5-inch prototype of an Android phone, along with a developer kit. This phone was supposed to have the same depth sensing capabilities that upcoming tablet is rumored to possess. Project Tango is part of the Advanced Technology and Project (ATAP) division of Google, and consists mostly of research and hardware specialists, acquired from Motorola, during Google’s ownership of the mobile device manufacturer.
Project Tango is working hard on giving smartphones, and now tablets, a human like understanding of space and motion. Like the Tango smartphone, the tablet is going to be issued as a limited developer project, with no units produced for consumer use just yet. No one knows if Google will ever make these devices for consumers, but it is more likely that it will license the software to its partners, for inclusion on their Android devices.
Johnny Lee, technical lead at ATAP, says that the new technology could be a huge leap forward for mobile developers, and “make possible new and enhanced types of user experiences, including 3D scanning, indoor navigation and immersive gaming.”
