Google’s Alphabet X is working on a project codenamed “Wolverine” that will allow users to feel superhuman through an in-ear device
- Alphabet X revealed that it has been working on a top secret project since 2018
- Called “Wolverine,” it’s a developmental device that provides users with superhuman hearing
- The in-ear device would be full of sensors and powered by algorithms
- However, it is still unclear whether Alphabet will ever release it to the public
Alphabet X’s Moonlight Factory is working on a new project codenamed “Wolverine,” which is a portable device that provides users with superhuman hearing.
The company that owns Google confirmed the top-secret technology to Business Insider, saying it has been working on a headset with a sensor since 2018.
The team, which spoke anonymously, revealed that it will allow users to focus on a specific speaker in a group environment with overlapping conversations, or speech segregation.
Wolverine, according to Alphabet, is designed with extremely sensitive microphones that work with powerful algorithms that can determine who is speaking to block the additional noise.
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Alphabet X’s moonshot factory is working on a new project codenamed “Wolverine,” which is a portable device that allows users to hear superhuman through a sensor headset (stock)
The name of the project, Wolverine, seems to be a nod to the famous Marvel comic book character who poses a sense of sight, smell and hearing, all of them superhuman abilities.
However, it is not yet clear whether the Alphabet device will retain the iconic name when or whether it is released to the public.
In recent years, Alphabet has reiterated the design from the first prototypes that covered the entire ear to one that protruded above the ear.
An X spokesman told Insider that the company is “exploring the future of the audience,” but declined to provide details about the project.
The name of the project, Wolverine, seems to be a nod to the famous Marvel comic book character who raises sense of sight, smell and hearing, all of them superhuman abilities.
The team is also looking at the device not only as a single form factor, but as a successful business with various devices and models.
However, Alphabet does not accompany this company: Facebook publicly announced in 2020 that its research lab is working on developing technology to improve audio.
The goal of the social media company is to perfect the “audio presence,” where the sounds of speakers, headphones, or other devices cannot be distinguished from a real-world source.
Researchers are also developing “perceptual superpowers,” technology that adjusts background noise and allows us to focus on the person speaking to us following the user’s eye movements.
By analyzing eye and head movements, Facebook’s AR glasses with embedded speakers could identify what you’re trying to hear and dampen other people’s noise.
Want to hear your date in a noisy bar? Look into his eyes and the discussion in the next table fades into a whisper.
“We are exploring new technologies that can expand, protect and improve your hearing, giving you the ability to increase concentration and focus, while allowing you to interact seamlessly with people and information that interests you,” he explains. Tony Miller, leader in hardware research.
This is not just theoretical, as the lab has already developed prototypes that can track eye movements and adjust sounds accordingly.