Google I/O 2016 Highlights: AI and VR/AR Take Center Stage

In the early hours of May 19, the 2016 Google I/O Global Developer Conference was held in the United States. Google CEO Sundar Pichai presided over the keynote address at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California.

As expected, AI and VR/AR products took center stage.

1. Android Wear for Smartwatches Upgraded to 2.0

The new Android Wear watch platform incorporates gesture recognition, allowing users to interact by drawing on the watch face; it also features enhanced fitness capabilities, enabling music playback via a Bluetooth headset connection during runs without requiring a smartphone.

In addition, the watch face design and health features have been refined. The new version supports handwriting recognition, smart replies, and a brand-new automatic keyboard. Notably, apps on Android Wear 2.0 operate independently, without requiring pairing with a smartphone.

2. Launched AI-based products “Google Assistant” and Google Home

Both are applications based on speech recognition. Currently, Google supports mutual translation among 100 languages. “Google Assistant” enables natural human-computer conversation through data and artificial intelligence, similar to Microsoft’s Cortana. The smart home product Google Home can control speakers via voice commands and connect to lights, thermostats, and other devices, serving as a central hub for home control, seemingly positioning itself as a competitor to Amazon’s Echo.

3. Daydream Platform: VR Strategy

Google is heavily promoting Daydream, aiming to integrate smartphones (running the Android N system), head-mounted displays, and applications through the platform.

Currently, Hulu, YouTube, Samsung, HTC, Huawei, Xiaomi, and others have been brought into Google’s partnership camp. Daydream has released a preview version, and further developments remain to be seen.

4. Allo Is Here: A Boon for Intelligent Triage?

Allo is an intelligent product that can predict and provide smart replies based on the user's habits. For example, upon receiving a photo of a dog, it will pre-fill responses such as "Cute puppy" or similar messages. When a photo of spaghetti is shared during a conversation between two people, Allo automatically lists nearby Italian restaurants, allows you to select one, and even assists with making a reservation.

This process is seamless; while it appears simple, it actually represents a convergence of technologies such as image recognition, intelligent decision-making, and geolocation. Moreover, it integrates silently into the conversation between two individuals.

Is there a reliable robot mediating the conversation between the two parties? Google emphasizes that Allo employs end-to-end encryption, ensuring that messages are not accessible across multiple devices linked to the same Apple ID as in iOS. Therefore, there is no need for concern regarding security. Furthermore, once messages are deleted, they cannot be recovered or stolen by others.

The second app is called Duo, a video calling application. Google has made subtle improvements to the video calling experience, allowing users to preview the video feed before answering the call. This service leverages Google’s QUIC protocol, enabling seamless switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data, while reducing network requirements to support more efficient voice and video calls.

Allo and Duo will launch on Android and iOS platforms this summer.

Note: Some content is cited from Sina Technology.

After reviewing Google’s flagship product launches, let us now examine its ongoing explorations in the healthcare sector.

As early as 2008, Google launched Google Health, a platform designed to help users manage their medical records. Users could voluntarily transfer their health information—including details on prescriptions, allergy history, and treatment history—to Google, enabling them to retrieve this data at any time through the new service. However, in 2013, Google completely shut down its online health information platform, Google Health, due to its limited impact and low user adoption.

Google Glass, released in April 2012, offers functionalities similar to those of smartphones, enabling voice-controlled photography, video calls, and navigation, as well as web browsing, text messaging, and email management. Google Glass has also demonstrated its value in healthcare by enhancing augmented reality during surgical procedures, organizing electronic medical records, and facilitating automated personal health care. Currently, startups such as Augmedix are leveraging Google Glass to deliver medical care services.

In 2013, Google established Calico, a company dedicated to exploring the mechanisms of aging under the projects of Google X, Google’s most secretive division.

In 2014, Google X embarked on an ambitious plan: to construct a genetic information map in order to obtain a comprehensive map of human health.

In February this year, DeepMind Health developed a software application named Streams, which can review blood test results of patients at risk of acute kidney injury within seconds and optimize their treatment plans. The software is currently being piloted at the Royal Free Hospital. Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind, stated, “Ultimately, DeepMind hopes to bring its machine learning technologies to the healthcare sector.” Three months later, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust reached an agreement with Google to share medical data of nearly 1.6 million patients in London with DeepMind, Google’s artificial intelligence subsidiary, for the development of Streams.

In 2015, Google filed a patent for the concept of using drones to deliver life-saving equipment in emergency situations.

On April 5 this year, Quartz reported that Google has been granted a new patent for summoning a drone to deliver specific medical devices.

Google’s Healthcare Strategy Through the Lens of Google Ventures

In March 2009, Google established its venture capital fund, Google Ventures. Leveraging its own strengths, Google aimed to support innovative and promising new technology companies. VCBeat seeks to understand Google’s strategic initiatives in the healthcare sector and identify the areas it favors by examining its investment portfolio. To this end, VCBeat reviewed all 454 investments made by Google Ventures from March 2009 to May 2016, filtering out 32 investments specifically within the healthcare field.

Data Source: Crunchbase