What you need to know
- Google Beam is a 3D video calling platform that enables realistic communication between people remotely.
- Google is partnering with United Service Organizations (USO) to bring Google Beam to the military community.
- Starting next year, military families will use Google Beam to connect with friends and family using HP Dimension hardware at USO centers.
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Google's research projects are always exciting to follow, and Google Beam is the evolution of one. The company has been working on Beam, a 3D video communication platform, for more than half a decade — it first showed off the technology in 2021 as "Project Starline," which was in the works for "a few years" before that. Google Beam began popping up in real-world use cases shortly after Google I/O 2025, powered by HP hardware.
Now, Google is sharing how it is partnering with United Service Organizations (USO) to bring Google Beam to the military community. It's starting out as a pilot program next year, and it'll bring Beam technology to USO centers at home and abroad.
"For our nation's active duty service members, separation from family during long deployments means missing out on some important moments and milestones," the company wrote in a blog post.
"Now, through our pilot program, deployed service members will have the opportunity to feel closer to their families for moments big and small — whether joining a Beam call to wish a family member happy birthday or reading a favorite book to their child and feeling like they’re together in the same room."
Google Beam is the AI-powered software that makes realistic three-dimensional video calls possible, and it requires specialized hardware to function. HP is the only partner making Beam hardware, and its HP Dimension interface costs $25,000 per unit. As such, Beam is a niche service, since an HP Dimension unit is needed onsite anywhere you want to call to or from.
What's it like using Google Beam?
I've tried Google Beam, formerly known as Project Starline, twice at Google I/O. It's the kind of technology you need to try yourself to believe, but I can assure you Beam is realistic.
The display accurately depicts people calling from across the world in 3D form, functioning almost like a "magic window" into their space. In one demo, a presenter held out something toward the camera setup, and it felt like I really could reach and grab it.
The hardware working behind the scenes includes six cameras, an 8K light-field display, and artificial intelligence software that creates 3D video models in real time. The technology has been in the making for a while, and it's somewhat mysterious.
With its USO partnership, Google will bring Beam to more people in 2026, and it has the potential to make an impact for military families in need of remote connection.
