Google Beam Brings Lifelike 3D Video to Military Families at Twenty USO Sites

Google is placing its HP Dimension with Google Beam systems in 20 USO centers around the world so deployed service members can sit down and talk with family as if they share the same table. A pilot that linked Trzebień, Poland, with Fort Bliss, Texas, has already shown the difference. Now the program is growing to include Grafenwöhr, Germany, and Fort Hood, Texas, among other sites.

Google Beam was originally known as Project Starline. The commercial version features a 65-inch screen and six cameras inserted directly into the frame. Those cameras feed a brain, which is an AI model that does some really cool stuff, including building a full 3D image of the person on the other end in real time. The screen then sends slightly different graphics to each eye, making the visitor appear life-size and realistic, with the expected natural depth. The head tracking ensures that as either person adjusts in their seat, the viewpoint remains correct, and we’re talking spatial audio here, captured by a network of mics and speakers that place voices precisely where they belong in the room. No costly glasses or headset are required, simply sit, look up, and the other person is right there.

For service members, the true value is the opportunity to have a proper face-to-face interaction. Phone calls and regular video conferences completely flatten individuals out, making eye contact impossible. Beam corrects this by allowing you to view the entire image, including all of the small nonverbal signs that contribute to a genuine conversation. You can see a toddler take their first unsteady steps or simply sit back and enjoy your child reading you a tale aloud. There is no difference between a parent celebrating a promotion and sitting in the living room with the family.

Four families from the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment get to demonstrate this technology in a short documentary series directed by veteran filmmaker Kyle Hausmann-Stokes. Sergeant Amoy Brown from Poland used the system to throw a small party for his wife Tiyanna after she was promoted, as well as to play with his child despite the fact that they were 8 hours apart. Meanwhile, Army Chaplain Roland Kassales could watch his daughter Blythe read some original stories while they looked at each other. SFC Matthew Jennings could finally see his newborn daughter Lilly and hear one of his sisters play the guitar. Major Michael Rodriguez was pleased to see his one-year-old daughter Kathryn take her first steps, all while his wife Jessica juggled four children and a hard career as a child physical therapist; no worry there.

Each of those sessions took place in a USO facility, but the alliance hopes to expand this to additional military members and those waiting for them. Google has made the entire documentary series available online, allowing anybody to watch the heartwarming reunions for themselves. Meanwhile, the hardware, including the panels, is already being shipped to commercial customers in various countries. The USO deployment gives Beam a more intimate and personal mission, bringing people closer together one three-dimensional discussion at a time.