Google is reportedly working with NASA to send its Project Tango smartphone into space. A prototype of the device, which uses computer vision to detect, track, and map its environment, will be added to NASA's Spheres. The Spheres are an experimental robot that use ultrasound and infrared sensors to explore and navigate the International Space Station, but the addition of Tango is expected to help them move around the ISS more effectively. The first Tango smartphone will go the ISS later this year.
"This is no ordinary upgrade," said Terry Fong, director of the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA's Ames Research Center. "We’ve customized cutting-edge commercial technologies to help us answer questions like: How can robots help humans live and work in space? What will happen when humans explore other worlds with robots by their side? Can we make this happen sooner, rather than later?"
Well, this is definitely cooler than Google Glass.
[via The Verge]
