This is Google’s idea for the future of videoconferencing, a giddy vision that only a small group of Googlers have had access to, and one that has apparently gotten a thumbs-up from chief executive Sundar Pichai. You couldn’t be blamed for thinking that Starline must have been developed during the pandemic, while desk workers were umm-ing and muting and unmuting their way through an endless stream of Meets and Zooms. But Bavor says there wasn’t really any aha moment that led to Project Starline. In fact, it’s been in the works for over five years.

“What has always excited me about virtual and augmented reality is this idea that these technologies can take you other places, and they can make you feel present somewhere else,” Bavor says. “But it didn’t seem like there was a way of bringing the most important things in the world to you, namely, the people you care about.”

The company gave the public a virtual glimpse of Project Starline today during its annual IO conference. But Starline is still just a concept, unlikely to liven up your Google Meet meetings for several years.

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