If you needed any more proof beyond the new Star Wars tie-in that Google is run by geeks, this is it. Google senior VP Amit Singhal showed off a nifty little prototype device based on the Star Trek communicator, or “combadge.” It’s a lapel pin that you activate with a tap to place calls or do voice searches. And no, Google won’t sell you one.
Beginning in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Starfleet crew members had a communicator badge on the left chest of their uniforms. This was carried through all the subsequent series in the original timeline, prior to the JJ Abrams refresh of the franchise. On the show, you could tap the badge and talk to anyone on the ship or ask the computer a question. That’s a little bit like Google’s voice engine, but in some ways real life is even more convenient now.
The prototype pin is a simple Bluetooth device that tethers to a phone. A tap wakes it up so you can issue voice commands using the built-in microphone and a small speaker. In real life, you can use a Bluetooth headset to issue commands to the Google app on an Android phone, which is probably a little more practical. There’s also the “OK Google” hotword to activate a voice search, so you don’t even have to touch anything.
The creation of the small, round Star Trek-style combadge was more a labor of love than a stab at a real product. Singhal says he had always wanted a working combadge, so why not design one at Google to see how it worked. I’d be surprised if this ever becomes a real product, but it’s nice to know it exists. Instead, you can pre-order one of those flip communicator replicas from the original series.
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