Full Breakdown
Google Beam Expands 3-D Video Conferencing to 20 USO Locations Worldwide
By Drooid · · How we work
Background and Pilot Program
Google’s Beam technology—originally launched as Project Starline—uses six cameras, AI-enhanced video models, a light-field display, head-tracking and spatial audio to render participants as lifelike 3-D holograms. After an initial corporate rollout and a partnership with HP that placed the HP Dimension booths in co-working spaces, the company piloted the system for military members, linking a booth at Fort Bliss, Texas with one in Poland. The pilot demonstrated that service members could converse with family members in a setting that felt “life-sized” and allowed eye contact, according to the companies’ promotional material.
Deployment Details and Partnerships
Google announced that the Beam booths will now be installed at 20 United Service Organizations (USO) sites around the globe. The expansion adds locations in Grafenwöehr, Germany, and Fort Hood, Texas, joining the two existing sites in Texas and Poland. In addition, Google is collaborating with veteran filmmaker Kyle Hausmann-Stokes on a docuseries that follows four families in Fort Bliss as they use the booths, illustrating real-world usage.
Expected Impact for Service Members and Families
The deployment aims to give active-duty personnel and their families a more immersive alternative to conventional video calls. By projecting participants as three-dimensional figures, Beam seeks to reduce the sense of separation that long deployments create, allowing families to feel as though they are sharing the same physical space. While Google has not confirmed whether the USO program signals a broader commercial rollout, the company suggests the technology could become a standard communication tool for military households.
Outlook
The rollout’s success will likely be measured by adoption rates at the USO sites and feedback from the participating families featured in the upcoming docuseries. Google’s continued partnership with the USO and HP indicates a commitment to scaling the service, though further expansion beyond the 20 locations remains unannounced.