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Google and USO partner to deploy Beam 3D video system at 20 locations for military families

Google, in partnership with the United Service Organizations (USO), will deploy the HP Dimension with Google Beam system to 20 USO locations around the world, enabling deployed service members to have lifelike 3D video calls with their families. The system does not require glasses or a headset and uses multiple cameras and AI to generate real-time 3D images.

Google Beam, formerly known as Project Starline, was launched as a research project in 2021 and was renamed Google Beam and commercialized in 2025. The HP Dimension hardware, developed in collaboration with HP, uses an approximately 65-inch light-field display and six cameras, and is priced at about $24,999 per unit, with a separate Google Beam license required. It has already been made available for enterprise customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and other countries. It had previously been piloted in Trzebień, Poland, and Fort Bliss in the United States, and is now expanding to places including Grafenwöhr in Germany and Fort Hood in the United States.

Google released a documentary series directed by veteran and filmmaker Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, following scenes in which four deployed service members from the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment in Poland reunite with their families through Beam. Official materials describe specific moments of interaction between the service members and their children, such as watching children practice walking and listening to them read stories. The deployment extends Beam from enterprise meeting scenarios to family support scenarios.

Original sources:

  1. Title: How Google Beam connects military families globally Publisher: Google Blog Publication date: 2026-10-26 URL: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/research/google-beam-uso-docuseries-service-members/ Nature of source: official company blog Verification status: full page content read for this report (2026-10-28) Supported content: partnership with USO to deploy HP Dimension with Google Beam to 20 locations; pilot in Trzebień, Poland and Fort Bliss; expansion to Grafenwöhr and Fort Hood; release of a documentary following four military families; descriptions of specific interaction scenes

  2. Title: Google Beam goes on sale, five years after its debut as Project Starline Publisher: Computerworld Publication date: 2026-09-23 URL: https://www.computerworld.com/article/4225627/five-years-later-you-can-finally-buy-google-beam.html Nature of source: media report Verification status: main content read for this report (2026-10-28) Supported content: Project Starline launched in 2021; now Google Beam, integrated into HP Dimension hardware; price of about $25,000; sold in six countries; 65-inch display and multiple cameras

  3. Title: Google Beam Is Being Deployed At 20 USO Locations Publisher: Engadget Publication date: 2026-10-26 URL: https://www.engadget.com/2295586/google-beam-is-being-deployed-at-20-uso-locations/ Nature of source: media report Verification status: main content read for this report (2026-10-28) Supported content: deployment to 20 USO locations; formerly Project Starline; six cameras and AI model generate real-time 3D; pilot connecting Fort Bliss and Poland

  4. Title: HP reveals first Google Beam 3D video conferencing setup, priced at $25,000 Publisher: Ars Technica Publication date: 2025-06-11 URL: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/hp-reveals-first-google-beam-3d-video-conferencing-setup-priced-at-25000/ Nature of source: media report Verification status: related content read for this report (2026-10-28) Supported content: HP Dimension hardware priced at about $24,999; separate Google Beam license required; 65-inch light-field display and six cameras; aimed at enterprises

ABAB AI Insight

Project Starline was publicly launched in 2021 as a Google research project, with the goal of enabling face-to-face-like 3D video calls without a headset. During I/O in 2025, it was renamed Google Beam and, in collaboration with HP, the commercial hardware HP Dimension was introduced. The system uses a light-field display and multi-angle camera capture, with AI models reconstructing 3D imagery and spatial audio in real time. The hardware is priced at about $25,000 and requires a separate license; it is mainly aimed at enterprise meeting scenarios and has been sold to selected customers in multiple countries.

On the military-use path, Google and USO announced a pilot before 2025, and in 2026 the system was deployed to 20 USO locations worldwide, covering connections between deployed service members and their families. The pilot connected bases in Poland and the United States, and has now expanded to Germany and more U.S. locations. Official materials and the documentary emphasize specific family interactions, such as children taking steps and reading stories, rather than abstract technical demonstrations. This use places a high-priced enterprise product into a non-commercial, emotional-support scenario, with USO serving as the intermediary providing access.

Compared with the enterprise market, the USO deployment does not change the hardware cost structure, but instead allows specific groups to gain access through institutional cooperation. Beam currently mainly supports one-on-one 3D calls while remaining compatible with conventional 2D meeting platforms. Historically, remote communication technology has gradually reduced the sense of distance from telephones to video calls, but 3D light-field solutions are still limited by hardware costs and deployment density. Use in military-family settings provides an observable case of high-priced equipment in a non-enterprise environment.

This arrangement extends Beam's application from enterprise meetings to family connection. For the market, observable indicators include actual usage frequency at USO locations, whether it expands to more non-enterprise scenarios, and whether hardware and license costs decline with scale. The 3D calling experience depends on both ends being equipped with dedicated hardware, and the current deployment scale remains limited by unit price and installation conditions.

ABAB News · Cognitive Laws

  1. After a research project is renamed and commercialized, it enters non-enterprise usage scenarios through institutional partnerships.

  2. The deployment density of high-priced dedicated hardware depends on partners rather than direct sales to consumers.

  3. The realization of a one-on-one 3D calling experience remains constrained by the condition that both ends must be equipped with the corresponding devices.