Google shows off the Pixel 4’s facial recognition and gesture control tech

Google is taking a different approach to the cycle of leaks and speculation and decided to just share what it can. This time around, the company is showing off the Pixel 4’s facial recognition technology and gesture controls. Google’s blog post also shows a tear-away view of the top of the phone, giving us a look at what sensors are accessible at the top of the phone. And there’s a lot as you can see above.

The Project Soli’s radar-based motion sensor does make an appearance, and it helps with explicit gesture support or Motion Sense as Google calls it for actions like skipping songs, snoozing alarms, and silencing phone calls. Let’s hope this provides a smoother experience than what the LG G8 offered. Also, the feature won’t be available in all countries that get the phone. According to Android Police, Google may need individual government regulatory approval for Soli’s radar technology.

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New Google Pixel 4 leak fuels hand gesture control rumours

With the number of sensors adorning the front of the Google Pixel 4, it comes as no surprise why the notched display might be disappearing for this version of the Pixel. The newest leaked photos obtained by Ice Universe show the detached bezels of both the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Both feature a large ovoid hole on the right side of the phone that hasn’t been accounted for in the past. This makes us believe that the said space is for the Project Soli radar, which would allow gesture control for this phone. The other holes are said to be for things like dual selfie cameras, central speaker, and face recognition or depth sensor. For now, as with any other leak, we still have to take this information with a grain of salt.

You might be able to operate the Pixel 4 with hand gestures thanks to the Project Soli chip

Project Soli was first demoed by Google back at I/O in 2016 (you can check out the video above). The radar-based motion sensors will let you operate phones, smartwatches, and even smart speakers by using hand gestures. Now, reports suggest the Project Soli chip will be showing up in the upcoming Google Pixel 4 phone. In December 2018, Google got approval from the Federal Communications Commission to deploy and operate Project Soli sensors at high power levels and even aboard an aircraft, citing the fact that this will “serve the public interest.” The company applied for the waiver in March 2018 to let them capture motion in a 3D space using a radar beam, allowing for the touchless control of devices.

Is this just going to be a different take on what LG has tried to bring back with the G8 ThinQ? Would you want this on your next Pixel phone? The Pixel 4 is slated to come out in October, so we should hear more about this soon.

Source: CNET