X

Google tests voice search under the sea

The web giant's Australian arm has tested voice search functionality under the sea and under the ground, as it looks to improve the feature in its desktop and mobile versions
By Luke Hopewell, Contributor
googles-deep-sea-google-australia.jpg
1 of 5 Google Australia

Google Android handset

Google recently asked several members of its Chrome team to go on a search under the sea, not for the lost city of Atlantis, but for things like currency conversions and weather forecasts.

Google Australia engineers Noel Gordon and Alice Boxhall travelled to the Great Barrier Reef, armed with notebooks and their Android-powered Sony Ericsson Experia smartphone, to see if they could get search terms requested by voice working underwater.

The experiment worked by mounting the handset on a retort stand (above).

googles-deep-sea-google-australia-2.jpg
2 of 5 Google Australia

Transducer on ship

Meanwhile, a transducer relayed the voice of a diver looking for a coffee shop, for example.

googles-deep-sea-google-australia-3.jpg
3 of 5 Google Australia

On the boat, engineers record the results

On the boat, engineers recorded the results.

Google Australia said it can take what it's learning from these tests and apply it to desktop search, giving users new ways to find things and eliminate the barrier of spelling, accents and background noise.

googles-deep-sea-google-australia-4.jpg
4 of 5 Google Australia

Diver

The diver above reports a successful test after a search. The search terms included queries such as "what is a transducer?".

Work done by the researchers should also feed into the "mobile first" vision announced by former Google chief Eric Schmidt, in which the search giant's mobile fleet gets innovative new tech first. Google Australia said that voice search is a way of making the Android phone smarter. By giving it speech recognition capabilities and hooking it up to a brain the size of the internet, Google can unlock a better way to search.  

googles-deep-sea-google-australia-5.jpg
5 of 5 Google Australia

Google researchers in caves

However, voice searching from the deep blue sea isn't enough for Google Australia. The company is also looking to compensate for high background noise like echoes or wind while voice searching. To this end, its researchers also embarked on a trip to a cave system to test the feature.

Google Australia told ZDNet UK's sister site ZDNet Australia that its next exotic search tests would take place in the desert. 

This story originally appeared as Google's deep sea search tests: photos on ZDNet Australia.


Get the latest technology news and analysis, blogs and reviews delivered directly to your inbox with ZDNet UK's newsletters.


Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes
Holiday lights in Central Park background

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes

21 Photos
Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting
Wooden lodge in pine forest with heavy snow reflection on Lake O'hara at Yoho national park

Related Galleries

Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting

21 Photos
Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes
3D Rendering Christmas interior

Related Galleries

Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes

21 Photos
Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza
img-8825

Related Galleries

Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza

26 Photos
A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex
img-9792-2

Related Galleries

A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex

22 Photos
Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup
shutterstock-1024665187.jpg

Related Galleries

Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup

8 Photos
Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'
Full of promises!

Related Galleries

Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'

8 Photos