Google is working on a new, cutting-edge 7" tablet with advanced vision capabilities, according to The Wall Street Journal. Aside from the aforementioned screen size, the tablet will reportedly feature two rear-facing cameras, infrared depth sensors, and advanced imaging software that can capture precise three-dimensional images of objects.
The tablet will be an offshoot of Google's 'Project Tango' smartphone, which is equipped with multiple Kinect-style 3D sensors that, with the help of some other components, can track motion and even map your surroundings.
The smartphone's sensors are capable of making more than 250 million 3D measurements every second to build a 3D model of the device's surroundings.
This can have various useful applications. For example, capturing the dimensions of a home before furniture shopping, improving indoor navigation for the visually-impaired, playing virtual-reality games, and more.
Project Tango is supervised by the Advanced Technology and Projects group, a division that Google inherited with its acquisition of Motorola Mobility.
As with the smartphone prototype released in February, Google is planning a limited release of these tablets. The company has plans to produce about 4,000 of these devices starting next month.
Google usually opens up new technology to developers first, hoping that they will create applications that will help the devices appeal to consumers. For example, the company's Internet-connected eyewear, Google Glass, was also made available to developers and early testers first.
According to the report, the tablet could be released ahead of the company's annual developer conference scheduled for the end of June.