Google and HP are expanding access to immersive 3D video communication technology through a partnership with the United Service Organizations.
Google and HP are expanding access to immersive 3D video communication technology through a partnership with the United Service Organizations.
Google has announced plans to bring HP Dimension with Google Beam to 20 United Service Organizations
(USO) locations worldwide, enabling deployed military personnel to connect with their families through lifelike 3D video calls.
The expansion follows a pilot programme launched earlier this year, connecting service members stationed in Trzebien, Poland, with their families
at Fort Bliss, Texas. The initiative is now expanding to include Grafenwöhr, Germany, and Fort Hood, Texas.
Originally developed as Project Starline, Google Beam uses AI-powered video processing and light-field display technology to create the impression that
two people are sitting opposite one another, despite being thousands of miles apart.
The HP Dimension with Google Beam system incorporates a 65-in light-field display, multiple cameras, spatial audio, and adaptive lighting. AI-powered volumetric video processing creates
realistic 3D representations of participants, preserving natural eye contact, facial expressions, and body language.
The technology delivers a glasses-free 3D experience, removing the need for specialised headsets or other wearables. It is designed to make remote conversations
feel more natural than conventional two-dimensional video conferencing.
Developed in partnership with HP, the platform has primarily targeted enterprise collaboration environments, making the USO deployment an example of its application beyond traditional workplace settings.
The announcement is
accompanied by a documentary series directed by military veteran and filmmaker Kyle Hausmann-Stokes. It follows four soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment during their deployment in Poland, exploring how the technology helps them maintain connections
with loved ones.
Among the experiences documented are a father watching his young daughter practise her first steps and another hearing his daughter read stories she has written.
The USO initiative builds on Google's wider commercial rollout
of Beam, which recently expanded to customers in six countries, including the US, UK, Germany, France, Canada, and Japan.
Google says the partnership aims to help military families maintain more meaningful connections during extended periods of separation.
Via Google