Google’s Star Trek Com Badge

Ever thought of having your own communication badge, like the one from Star Trek? All trekies out there dreamed of having their own golden-gilded captain’s badge in order to talk with anyone simply by pressing it and saying the word. It would seem that Google might have done it again. Google’s Star Trek Com badge was an ambitious project, started a couple of years ago, ironically by another Star Trek fan.

Google’s lapel pin communicator badge featured a Bluetooth connection device and built-in microphone. The project was ambitious indeed, but it would seem that it was scrubbed after a short period of time. No one seem to know why the tech giant made this move, taking into account, that over the year they managed to develop powerful voice search engines such as Google Now and the voice assisted search service.

Amit Singhal, the big chief when it comes to computer engineering, said that it was his idea in the first place to develop a prototype com badge, after being inspired by the popular sci-fi TV series. Singhal declared that the main issue is the voice engine itself. Basically, we have all the tools we need to construct such a device, but what we are lacking something very important, such as a reliable artificial intelligence.

Google has made great efforts into improving its AI, both in response time and search optimization. The launch of the new TensorFlow enhanced artificial intelligence, will ensure that all voice search enquiries will be fully understood by the machine.

The main problem with the present AI is its incapability of understanding complex semantical construction. But, lately, many steps have been taken in the direction of improvement and it seems that Now and voice search are getting the hand of it.

Singhal also declared to his fans that they have not abandoned the project for good. Instead the team of engineers and computer specialist are working around the clock in order to turn the com badge from theory to practice.

The same trekies fan said that, somewhere in the future, the main method of interaction with a computer, or with any other device, for that matter, will be through voice commands. Search engines using voice commands seemed to be the first logical step we should take in order to reach something like the real Cortana or, why not, Enterprise’s central computer.

But, for now we have to make do with what we have and hope that the voice-controlled age is around the corner.

Image source:deviantart.net