In an exciting development, Google has launched a cutting-edge hand gesture detection feature on its video-conferencing platform, Google Meet. This feature is designed to recognize when a participant in a video call physically raises their hand and will then trigger the hand raise icon to notify others in the call that they have a question or wish to speak. The AI-powered feature was initially announced in March and is now available to users.
Key Takeaway
Google Meet now offers a hand gesture detection feature that can recognize when a participant physically raises their hand during a video call. This feature enhances interaction and communication in virtual meetings by providing a convenient way to indicate a desire to speak or ask a question. It allows users to seamlessly engage in video calls, even when their hands are not free or clean. The hand gesture detection feature is available on most Google Meet Workspace plans and can be enabled in the settings.
How Does It Work?
Google Meet’s hand gesture detection feature can detect a raised hand when it is visible to the camera and is away from the participant’s face and body. Users may need to keep their hand raised for a few seconds until the gesture detection is triggered. Once detected, the hand raise icon will appear in the user’s video window, and they will be moved to the main grid for moderators to see that they are requesting to speak.
This new feature is available for most Google Meet Workspace plans. While it is turned off by default, users have the option to enable it in the settings. However, it is automatically disabled for active speakers to prevent unnecessary hand raise notifications every time they move their hands while talking.
Potential Benefits and Use Cases
The hand gesture detection feature on Google Meet offers a range of potential benefits and practical applications. One such use case is when a participant is standing away from their computer mouse and wants to get the host’s attention without having to physically walk over and interrupt the meeting. Additionally, if someone joins a call while eating lunch and has dirty hands, they can still easily participate by using this feature instead of using the mouse or keyboard. The hand gesture detection feature provides a seamless and convenient way to interact in a video call.
Aside from the hand gesture detection feature, Google Meet has also introduced a portrait touch-up mode recently. This mode allows users to apply complexion smoothing, under-eye lightening, and eye whitening effects for an enhanced video appearance.
