Let’s Tango.

Tango, more commonly known as a simple danceform. What is this, Ujjwal? Why are you writing about art on a technology oriented website? Okay, let me make it clearer, how about ‘Google Tango’? Weird, how adding a simple Google prefix makes it techy enough. Well, what is it? That’s what we are here to find out.

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Tango requires a partner. Google needed some too.[/caption]

Google Tango is one more of Google’s no longer top secret projects, something similar to the Ara Modular Concept. It is very imaginative and ambitious and could be of great use in many fields. But what is it exactly? Well it is a 3D modelling system that enables you to capture 3D models of your home and it’s interiors. “Well it would be big and bulky then right?”. No that’s where the fun part starts. It’s going to be as small as a mobile device. The device would be capable to track movement in full 3D and map them to create a virtual surrounding of your home. You might now be thinking that just like the Ara it’s going to take some time, well Google surprises us. It’s going to distribute 200 developer edition prototypes for the purpose of building an app ecosystem for this technology. That’s right, this is not a part of Android (Only for now, hopefully). The numerous sensors in the phone allow it to make a quarter million measurements each second which are then combined to make a 3D model of your surrounding.

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The Tango Phone prototype. 200 of which would be given to developers this March to start making applications for it.[/caption]

What is the use of this technology you may ask? Well there are many fields in which this technology would be very helpful. For instance imagine yourself going to get some new furniture for your house. Don’t know whether it’ll fit or look good? Well pull out that device, model that couch you’re looking at and place it in your pre-3D modelled living room and decide for yourself. It will be very helpful for blind people as well. It can be used to help them navigate through interiors or even huge exteriors by actively modelling their surroundings. Imagine gaming in a virtual real world in your own bedroom. That seems like one of my childhood dreams coming true, that is interacting with real world objects as if they were a part of the virtual world. How much fun would that be?

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Mapping the surroundings.[/caption]

But now let’s talk about the more negative aspect of it. This technology could be misused in so many ways. Terrorists could easily map and model buildings and interiors and could easily locate prime spots for committing acts of violence. Spying on people would now be full 3D as well which doesn’t really give us the positive vibes.

But every technology has it’s pros and cons and here, the pros heavily outweigh the cons. I am definitely excited with what the Google ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) is coming up with. First the Ara and now Tango. It also explains some of the acquisitions Google made, along with it keeping the Motorola patent portfolio. The future definitely seems to be coming fast, but the question is are we ready for it?

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe10ExwzCqk