Google I/O: Project Tango for indoor mapping, Virtual Reality

At CES 2016, Google made a big announcement about its Project Tango that was launched back in 2014, in collaboration with Lenovo. Now, the search giant plans to ramp up the technology for 3D-sensing smartphones and tablets further and aims at making it ubiquitous, according to a report by Bloomberg .

So, the report hints at indoor mapping and virtual reality. We’ve known that it lets you map the 3D space around you by using a combination of cameras such as a regular camera, an integrated depth sensing camera and a motion tracking camera. The 3D space mapping is done in real time and can help out with navigating within shopping malls and other internal locations. It also lets you interact with your real surroundings thereby adding a layer of augmented reality to the mix.

But the report hints that the company is looking at something broader than the Lenovo-Project Tango demo showcased earlier this year. Google is looking to go outdoors and map spaces like museums and shopping malls. So, it wants to map indoor spaces in a similar fashion as Google Maps does outdoors.

And, Google’s plans go beyond mapping. Its looking to leverage the technology for virtual reality and enable developers with more immersive technology. Recent report have been also hinting at Google working on a standalone VR headset.  The report further adds that the company plans four sessions devoted to project Tango at the I/O. With the Google I/O just a week away, we will know soon.