Is ‘Project Starline’ the Future of Remote Communication?

Image via Google

Imagine a world where meetings, employee onboarding, or casual calls to family could be accomplished virtually, but in 3D. That is exactly what Google’s “Project Starline” has set out to do.

The project, which was originally announced by Google in May 2021, is a holographic video chat project that uses 3D imagery, high-resolution cameras, custom depth sensors and breakthrough light field display to create a lifelike experience for participants on both sides of the screen. Originally, the booths were only set up in Google offices for employees to test meetings, onboarding, and other projects. As we reported in October of 2022, Google announced an early access program for the company’s enterprise partners, where testing could occur in the real world.

Almost a full two years after the project was introduced, Google has released results from various tests and studies that were conducted on Starline. So does Project Starline actually improve remote communication enough to make it a viable option in a world dominated by much simpler solutions like Teams or Zoom?

In a blog written by Google Researchers Greg Blascovich and Eric Gomez, the first takeaway from the studies conducted were that Project Starline improved conversation dynamics. Although many users struggled to pinpoint exactly what it was that made them feel this way, they felt the conversations had in the 3D environment were “more natural”.

To determine what “more natural” meant, Google conducted a number of experiments. In the experimentation it was determined that Project Starline increased rates of turn-talking, produced higher quality conversations, allowed for “smoother” – or more natural conversation, and an increased ability of users to be aware of when it was their turn to speak.

In another experiment, users had conversations with a confederate in both Project Starline and Traditional Video Conferencing. The purpose of this test was to analyze select nonverbal behaviors. It was discovered that while using Project Starline, users performed more hand gestures, head nods, and eyebrow movements. Users also reported an ability to perceive and convey nonverbal cues better in Starline. These results, paired with the increased rates of turn-talking, could explain why users felt more “natural” in the Project Starline environment.

A second takeaway from the studies conducted by Google was that users felt reduced video meeting fatigue. To determine this, users were subjected to standardized 30-minute mock meetings in both Project Starline and Traditional Video conferencing. Using an exercise adapted from academic literature and by measuring fatigue based on the Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue Scale, Google based the results on the assumption that more fatigue would lead to slower reaction times. The results concluded that participants showed 31% less meeting fatigue while in the Project Starline environment, and had a 12% faster reaction time while performing cognitive tasks.

Subjects in the experiments also showed increased attentiveness. In the study previously mentioned that was designed to analyze nonverbal behavior, participants were asked to write as much as they could remember about each conversation they had (meaning the one in Starline, and the one in traditional video conferencing). Participants wrote 28% more (by character count) about their conversation in Project Starline. These results suggest either user’s paid closer attention in Starline, or found the conversations more engaging (or both).

In another test to track user attentiveness, particpants wore eye-tracking glasses that were designed to calculate the percentage of time they spent focusing on their conversation partner’s face. All users had a conversation via Starline, traditional video conferencing, and in person. Test subjects spent 14% more time focusing on the face of their conversation partner in Starline than they did in a traditional video conference setting. What’s even more impressive is that when comparing Starline and In-Person interactions, the statistics mirrored each other – meaning people were just as visually attentive while in the Project Starline environment as they were in person.

The experiments conducted seem to infer that Project Starline provided a real and effective impact on the quality of the conversations taking place, thus improving remote communication.  However, one key variable that could throw a wrench into the results of this study is that they occurred in a structured lab environment and not a real-world setting where other variables and distractions would likely affect the results. At the end of the day, a survey taken from participants in the experiment concluded that 87% of participants expressed that Project Starline produced a better meeting experience than traditional video conferencing, which creates a compelling case that Starline does bring a legitimate value to users.

Story via Google Blog