Project TANGO

Project Tango by Google was announced officially, featuring a prototype mobile device with augmented sensing and processing capabilities allowing it to perceive the motion of the device and reconstruct the surrounding environment. The project' s launch video is disclosed here:

The technology that it seeks to integrate has already been showcased, scientifically, but this should be the first time where it could be part of commercial technology at the scale of the mobile phone market. However, together with the new range of cool applications that such a technology would offer, we should at the same time consider its implications to everyday life and in particular the aspect of privacy. 

It is probably not so far in the future where the ability to accurately track the motion of a mobile phone and reconstruct its surroundings in real-time within indoor environments, will be integral part of our mobile phones. This may probably bring the end in privacy as people tend to carry their cell-phones wherever they go.

Consider that you use this functionality while you are at home, when you are with your friends or family. Just as a single photo may capture a single moment of a single view in time, we can imagine how this would translate in the case of a reconstructed environment and your motion within it. And after you may consider what this would mean if this data were to be "accidentally" taken by various companies, agencies or individuals and be exploited for different reasons.

To conclude, Big brother might be knocking at your door very soon and you could be its new star.