Project Soli, Futuristic New Google Project, Would Let You Control Devices Without Touching Them

Futuristic Google Project Wants To Control Devices Without Touching Them

You can talk to them and wear them, but in a not-too-distant future, you may not even have to touch your devices.

A new endeavor from Google's Advanced Technology and Projects sector hopes to revolutionize how we interact with technology. Called Project Soli, the new venture introduced by the lab on Friday uses radar to detect hand movements and finger "micromotions" to control everything from the volume controls on a stereo to a device's on-off switch, Business Insider reported.

The radar sensor is smaller than a fingernail, and can be embedded in virtually anything.

"The radar has properties which no other technology has," Ivan Poupyrev, the founder of Project Soli, said in an introductory video. "It can work through materials, it can be embedded into objects, it allows us to track really precise motions, and what is most exciting about it is that you can shrink the entire radar and put it in a tiny chip."

The new technology seeks to translate the complexity of the human hand into our technology, pushing things far past a simple swipe and applying the finesse of our actions to the virtual realm.

"We're actually interpreting human intent," Patrick Amihood, lead software engineer for the project, said in the clip.

Google did not immediately respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment.

The Google lab said it would release the API for Soli to developers in the future to help further the technology, but didn't announce a release date, Mashable reported.

Siri may have some competition.

Before You Go

Android: 1 Billion Active Users
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps, announces that Android now hosts 1 billion active users. Each dot in the visualisation behind him represents an active phone. Google launched the developer preview of Android M, which brings improved app permissions, fingerprint API, mobile payments. Android M is expected to release later this year.
Google Photos: Unlimited storage for photos and videos*
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Google Photos director Anil Sabharwal announced that the service now lets you store an unlimited number of 16 megapixel photos and 1080p resolution videos.
Android Auto: 35 Car Brands
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps announces that there are 35 car brands participating in Android Auto, which brings apps and services to your car's dashboard.
Google Jump
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Google vice president of product management Clay Bavor announced 'Jump', an ecosystem for creating and sharing virtual reality footage, detailing plans on an open schematic for a camera rig, software, and a YouTube-based player. The Jump rig consists of a circular array of 16 camera modules.
Android Wear
ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Singleton, director at Android Wear announced that there are 4000 apps for the watch ecosystem. Cool new feature: draw an emoji on the watch face to send an emoji on messenger.
Brillo - Google's Internet Of Things Platform
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Android, Chrome and Apps, unveils Brillo, a platform for Internet of Things devices.
Google Weave
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Weave is an open API framework that aims to standardize communications between IoT device manufacturers.
Google Now on Tap
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Aparna Chennapragada, director at Google Now announces Google Now on Tap, which suggests possible actions based on context. Users can get assistance on possible actions by hitting the home button when browsing an app or website.
Android Auto Demo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Google employee gives a demonstration of Android Auto in an Audi during Google I/O 2015 in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Google Androids Next Tricks
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A man looks at Google Cardboard during Google I/O 2015 in San Francisco, Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Android Pay
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Google employee gives a demonstration of Android Pay on a phone at Google I/O 2015 in San Francisco, Thursday, May 28, 2015. Google's next version of its Android operating system will boast new ways to fetch information, pay merchants and protect privacy on mobile devices as the Internet company duels with Apple in the quest to make their technology indispensable.
GoPro Jump
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A GoPro camera rig designed for Google Jump is shown during the Google I/O 2015 keynote presentation in San Francisco, Thursday, May 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Close

What's Hot