Google's Project Tango reaches Purdue

Soon, your phone or tablet could navigate the real world just like you.

In the hands of Purdue University researchers, the technology — a Google experiment called Project Tango — could help the visually impaired walk freely.

Google's new Tango tablet has yet to hit the public. But the Web giant has slowly released the technology to researchers with promising ideas for potential applications.

"They have been releasing it and slowly improving this system with the idea of, 'Here's some technology. We're interesting in seeing what you can do with it,' " said Dan Andersen, a Ph.D. student using the device for research in computer science.

Project Tango

One of Google's latest inventions, Tango beams out a grid of infrared dots, blanketing nearby objects to determine depth and distance.

It combines that information with data from a built-in camera, accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS system and other technology already available in most smartphones and tablets.

All this information together paints a clear picture of the physical world the device encounters.

"Every time I'm collecting that data, I can ... build up a picture of what the world looks like," Andersen said.

Envisioning the Future

Andersen, working with Purdue's Envision Center and Institute of Accessible Science, received the device in December. The team created an app that converts the data gathered by the device into sounds that become louder and more frequent as objects or obstacles come near.

Andersen compared the idea to echo-location in bats.

"We're able to have a system that can generate a sound based off of that information about the environment," he said.

The most obvious application of the technology could be for the blind or visually impaired. Just like a cane used to interact with nearby objects, the method would take time to master.

"You're going to have a period of learning," said George Takahashi, technical lead at the Envision Center, "and you will get accustomed to that information."

With its work in data visualization, the Envision Center was an obvious destination for the Tango tablet. Takahashi said future research could allow the blind to navigate virtual environments, as well.

"You could introduce them to new areas without them going there yet," he said. "They could walk around campus without going to campus."

What is Google Project Tango?

One of Google's latest inventions, the Tango tablet beams out a grid of infrared dots, blanketing nearby objects to determine depth and distance.

It combines that information with data from a built-in camera, accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS system and other technology already available in most smartphones and tablets.

All this information together paints a clear picture of the physical world the device encounters.