Google unveils a new technology that reads body language and responds to movements!

Google has unveiled technology that can read people's body movements to allow devices to "understand the social context around them" and make decisions.

This technology was developed by Google's Advanced Products and Technology (ATAP) division in San Francisco, and the technology consists of chips embedded in televisions, phones and computers: But instead of using cameras, the technology uses radar - radio waves that are reflected to determine the distance or angle of objects in the vicinity.

Included in future devices, this technology may turn off the TV if you make a gesture or automatically pause Netflix when you leave the couch. The technology is demonstrated in a new video published by ATAP, which is part of a documentary series showcasing its latest research and development research.

The tech giant wants to create "socially intelligent devices" that are controlled by a "hand wave or head rotation".

“As human beings, we understand each other intuitively – without uttering a single word,” said Leonardo Giusti, Head of Design at ATAP. “We pick up on social cues and subtle gestures that we instinctively understand and react to. What if computers understood us this way?”

These devices will be powered by Soli, a small chip that sends radar waves to detect human movements, from heartbeats to body movements.

Soli has already appeared in Google products such as the second-generation Nest Hub smart display that detects motion, including the depth of a person's breathing. The difference with the new technology is that Soli will work when users are not necessarily aware of it, rather than actively taking action to activate it.

When it is built into a smart TV, it could be used to make decisions like turning the volume down when it detects we're asleep - information obtained from a tilted head position, which indicates that it's resting on the side of a chair or sofa.

And at some point in the future, the technology could be so advanced - enough to capture "millimeter movement" - that it can detect whether eyes are open or closed.

Other examples include a wall-mounted thermostat that automatically turns on weather conditions when users pass by, or a computer that silences an alert when no users are seen sitting at a desk, according to Wired magazine.

And when users are in the kitchen following a video recipe, the device can pause when users walk away to get ingredients and resume when they return.

The technology, which is still under development, does have some drawbacks - in a crowded room, radar waves may have difficulty detecting one person from another, unlike just one large block.

Moving away from the user to hand it to devices could lead to a whole new era of technology that does things that users don't want to do. Radar has a distinct advantage over cameras - for example, allaying a customer's fear that Google employees might be watching your live broadcast while you sleep in front of a TV.

Date : 3-3-2022

Source: Daily Mail - https://ar.rt.com/siqi - Science and Technology