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Project Tango

google.com

291–300 of 353 posts

Re: Project Tango

#291

Really cool. I love how this could help the blind (my first thought when I saw how it worked - glad it was acknowledged in the video as a use case). The stuff Google's working on (and the face they're making it public is really exciting me (this, Glass, contact lens etc.). The more I see the more I think I'm going to spend more time developing for Google's platforms and less time developing for Apple's. I'm sure Appl…

Since you mentioned it here is a project I'm working on with blind and visually impaired users with Glass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEDg0k1HsH8 and I'm interested in extending it using something like tango.

Excellent work. Tango would make this incredibly powerful although I wonder how long it'll take to get those sensors packed into Glass.

Re: Project Tango

#292

This is essentially putting a Kinect in your phone and hooking it up with hopefully high-level APIs. It may take 2-3 years to make it into regular phones, but when it does it will be huge. Apple's acquisition of PrimeSense (the makers of the 1st gen Kinect) means they're also working on this. To give you a real-world example: when I started BarSsense ( http://www.barsense.com ) the core problem was tracking the path…

This is really cool. Does it compute power along the trajectory as well?

The problem I have is that I don't have a smartphone. Each cool app like this brings me closer to getting one though.

Can anyone suggest an alternative to this app that could work with video files? Or maybe something that I can stick to the barbell?

Re: Project Tango

#293
post #248
post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the reasons that spelling corrections are so good on Google is (probably) that they are machine learning models trained on query logs(1). i.e. if you search for "hacer news", and then without clicking on any results, issue another query for "hacker news" in a very short timeframe, then it will learn that "hacker" is a good suggestion for "hacer"(2). Similarly for "Mark as Spam", Priority Inbox, Recommended Vid…

I completely agree with the examples you cite. However the parent was giving examples about auto-correction for user's contacts. That is user-specific data and there's no need for it to be shared with a third-party.

Ah, I understand. I interpreted that comment as a list of 3 separate examples where centralization helps.

A nitpick:

Auto-correction for a user's contacts could probably be done on-device, although I'd guess that machine learning across all users will probably massively reduce your success rate. Consider an ambiguous correction; you accidentally type "Gob", but have contacts of "Rob" and "Bob". I imagine that ranking the suggestions can be improved using a globally trained model.

Re: Project Tango

#295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

* Mapping the physical world Ever wanted a floor plan for your home? Just wave your phone around. * Visual annotation Add direction overlays, see the plan for a play your team is executing on the helmet HUD, highlight "dangerous"(weaving, too fast, whatnot) drivers on the car HUD. * Integrate sensor data to extend human perception Add an IR overlay. Sample sound across the room, do a volumetric display of noise level…

Since they want to "map the physical world", Google should buy the Euclideon guys already (Unlimited Detail Engine, Geoverse, etc): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irf-HJ4fBls And then release it for VR applications/games (one can hope).

I thought they were investment-scamming techno-cons who had never been releasing video demonstrations for years without ever releasing a product.

Re: Project Tango

#296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, maybe was I just unlucky, but I tried to use an IMU for my SLAM and was shocked by the extravagant amount of drift of accelerometers.

Do you mean the accelerometer values drifted over time (i.e. the direction of gravity shifted on a stable accelerometer) or do you mean the value when doubly integrated drifted?

Right: the doubly integrated values shifted while the sensor didn't move.

Re: Project Tango

#297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Good god I am so sick of reading comments like this. This view of the world is just lazy. I think your view of the world is the lazier of the two--you're basically saying "let's not worry about the negative implications of the things we create as long as our intentions are good". > Who cares? If you don't like these services, don't use them. Nobody is forcing you to use this device . . . If you don't like modernity…

I think the grandparent's point is to focus on things that are actionable . If you are worried about the information Google collects on you and so choose not to use Google products - fine, that's your right. But if you're worried about the information Google collects on you and so choose to plaster that all over message boards every time Google is mentioned - exactly what are you accomplishing? Do you think the peopl…

You think the average person is aware of the data companies are collecting on them? I feel like 99% of the world has no idea how their privacy is being invaded. I think it's important to raise some awareness, so people can make an informed decision in the first place.

I also don't believe the answer is simply not using the services. That's like saying if you don't like the government monitoring your phone calls or location, you should just stop using phones.

Re: Project Tango

#298
post #165
post #53

"Imagine measuring your room by just walking around in it." Yes, and imagine transmitting each of those footsteps in real time back to Google, so they can have a map of your room, too, in case they, or other parties, ever need it. I was just having a discussion yesterday with a friend who works at Google about what data they store when you query their search engine. Every single keystroke, including backspaces, is st…

Good god I am so sick of reading comments like this. This view of the world is just lazy . Almost as lazy as "remember, if you're using a service for free, you're not the customer, YOU'RE THE PRODUCT!", which seems to get parroted every single time there is any discussion related to google, facebook, microsoft, instagram, twitter, or any other web company that uses ads as a revenue model. Yes, google can know what yo…

> Who cares? If you don't like these services, don't use them. Nobody is forcing you to use this device.

I cannot dictate my friends. Should I disallow them entering my house with their shiny toys? Should I nuke their wireless connections to make sure they cannot transmit live? Privacy is a societal issue that cannot be fixed by ignoring it.

Re: Project Tango

#300
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's a coincidence that every new product announced by Google involves surrendering more and more personal information to them. Just once I would love to be proven wrong. But Google just seems like the neediest, clingiest, nosiest spouse one could ever have.

What about this product is requiring you to surrender personal information?

Well, based on the video, they're aiming this as entertainment in some ways. This means your kids are going to run around your house playing these games, sending a 3D map of your residence to Google. Or wait, you lock this feature on your children's phone. Well, you can't exactly control their friends that stop by, or even your own family or friends that visit.

It's not like Google needs to map a complete picture of everything at once. If someone pulls out their phone this week and points it around your room, the location and data is sent to Google. Fast forward a couple of years, and someone does it again, and now they have a little more data of your home. They'll have millions and millions of little cameras and sensors around every corner of the globe, slowly constructing a virtual 3D world in the coming decade.

So yes, even if you don't want to surrender personal information, everyone around you will do it for you, and companies encourage your friends to profile you. It's similar to people uploading and tagging photos of you on Facebook. You can lock yourself in a box, and Google is going to know everything about you, even if you decide not to willingly share information. Most of the world uses Gmail. A friend recently sent out an e-mail for an event. I think I was the only person out of 20 that wasn't using Gmail. How do I not give up my information to Google? I stop e-mailing my friends? How do I contact them? Pick up the phone? Didn't Snowden inform the world of our phones being monitored? Hmm, no e-mail, and no phones. I can't even browse the internet, since the majority of sites run Google Analytics, or AdSense.

Good luck not surrendering information.

Anyway though, I don't think the intentions are evil, it's simply business. Rule number one, if you deal with users, you store as much data as possible. Delete nothing. You don't know where your business will be in the future, and this data might be priceless for improving your service, or expanding into other areas.

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