Google l/O 2021: Google Introduces 'Magic Window' to Chat Virtually in Realistic 3D

Google kicked off I/O 2021 virtually with a keynote address by Alphabet Inc CEO Sundar Pichai. Google announced a host of new features for its various products and services, including Maps, Photos, Search, WearOS and Workspaces, among others.

The pseudo-video chat technology, known as Project Starline, would allow users to "see another person, life-size and in three dimensions," Google said.

It uses the 3D imaging technology and real-time compression "to capture people as they are," according to Steve Seitz, Google's director of engineering.

"So it really feels like you're talking with someone right in front of you," Seitz said in a video. The initiative "is a technology project that combines advances in hardware and software to help people feel like they're together, even when they're apart," he further added.

It's unclear when the product will be available for mass use. Still, the announcement comes more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic, which forced many to rely on video conferencing for both work and personal purposes.

Google hosts its annual I/O developer conference every spring, its most significant event of the year. This year's event takes place virtually and runs till Thursday. Last year, the Google I/O conference got cancelled in light of the pandemic.

Typically, the company introduces new technologies that it has in the works, including new software updates. For example, in 2019, when Google held its I/O conference, the company announced revamped augmented reality features.

This year, Google could introduce an inexpensive Pixel 5a smartphone and a more affordable version of Google's Pixel Buds wireless earbuds.