Intel's RealSense camera tech can sense and scan three-dimensional objects, while Google's Project Tango
sensors are adept at motion tracking and 3D-mapping. It just makes
sense for the two to come together, which is exactly what was announced
today at Intel's Developer Forum.
The two have developed a smartphone and software kit that integrates
both RealSense and Project Tango technologies, as can be seen in the
hardware prototype seen here. While this handset is strictly for
developers at the moment, it offers a pretty good early look at what
could potentially be in consumer phones later on.
At first glance, the RealSense and Tango collaboration
looks like a pretty normal smartphone. It has a 6-inch QHD display and
is a little on the hefty side at 8.2mm thick and weighing in at 165
grams. The version that I looked at was running Android 5.0.1 Lollipop,
and I was told that it has an Intel Atom X5 processor inside. Flip it
over however, and you get to see the physical manifestation of the Intel
and Google marriage. There's an array of sensors and cameras here that
includes Intel's RealSense R200 camera with a fish-eye lens and an
8-megapixel sensor. It also has a couple of RGB cameras, IR cameras that
offer "stereoscopic matching" and a laser emitter to give texture to
scanned objects.
An
Intel spokesperson showed us a few demos of the hardware. At its most
basic, you can use it to scan 3D objects and get three-dimensional
portrayals of the environment in real-time simply by moving the phone
around -- it's even able to map your movements with a breadcrumb trail.
But because it also has motion-tracking, there's a great potential for
games. He showed us a cube stacking demo, where he could create virtual
walls and barriers overlaid atop the real-world environment -- sort of
like an augmented reality Minecraft, if you will. Another demo that uses
the depth sensor was a mesh builder built with the Unity engine. Using
complicated peaks and valleys, he was able to recreate objects around
the room, and then throw balls at them.
Last but not
least, the Intel spokesperson showed us a demo called Tango Blaster,
which lets you play a first-person shooter with a modified NERF gun. You
can shoot at enemies as usual, but thanks to the phone's
motion-tracking and depth-sensing tech, you can seek cover by going
behind walls and find new robots to shoot by moving your phone-equipped
gun around.
"RealSense
and Project Tango are really complimentary technologies," said Michael
Liu, a product manager for RealSense who was helping to demonstrate the
tech. "The camera's depth sensor works really well with Project Tango's
motion-tracking." Interested developers will be able to snag one of the
phones for themselves later this year, though it's unclear on who much
it'll cost just yet. As for when we'll see this in consumer hardware, it
probably won't be for awhile yet. But if the prototype I saw today was
any indication, I wouldn't be surprised if 3D-scanning phones are
everywhere in the not-too-distant future.
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