Google Project Tango is a smartphone project by Google that will let users build their own smartphones according to their needs like desktop computers. Google is keen to send its devices to space like back in years they sent Nexus S and Nexus One, each with a different mission each year, to space.
Google sends its phones to space to help NASA with SPHERES initiative, which stands for Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites program. As name suggests, Nasa will use sphere shaped satellites that will perform some specific taska for astronauts in space. The Project Tango smartphones will work as “Brains and eyes” for International Space Station. It looks like NASA is happy with the Project Tango smarphones and it provides the features that require in NASA’s SPHERE program. According to NASA:
This type of capability is exactly what we need for a robot that’s going to do tasks anywhere inside the space station…we wanted to add communication, a camera, increase the processing capability, accelerometers and other sensors. As we were scratching our heads thinking about what to do, we realized the answer was in our hands [smartphones].
Google is interested in every technology related program on earth. Now we have to see what can Google Project Tango phones can do for NASA.
What do you think about this Google space program?