Then there's depth perception as well to track how far away surfaces are. All of these then combine to make a 3D image of the environment you're in.
Project Tango: why should you care?
Developers can use this technology to great effect. For example, an app could track the size of the room you're standing in and put potential renovations on top of your home through augmented reality so you can see it before it happens.
That's tech we've seen before – but with the use of Tango it can track where you are and move with you.
Developers working with Tango could also create an app to help you navigate around a shop. Struggle to find the baked beans? Which aisle was that again? Whip your phone out, boot up the supermarket app and it'll direct you right to where you need to be.
It could even help for gaming with endless augmented reality possibilities. Take Pokemon Go, for example, and if the app included Project Tango it could do even more than it already will.
Right now, we're seeing a bunch of familiar games demoed: AR Jenga puts the haphazardly stacked wooden blocks on a table while you pull one out at a time from thin air (all of the fun none of the mess).
Bridge the AR gap, there's also a way to strap Tango tablet to a very real oversized nerf gun in order to shoot fictitious aliens. There's even a demon in which you can pet a cat that prances around your multi-level room (knowing the table, floor and chairs)
Apps would even be able to help the visually impaired navigate around indoors. It all comes down to what developers decide to do with the technology.
We've already seen the technology being used in a museum in Barcelona, which allowed us to navigate around easily and see the key points. Plus the AR elements on top of exhibits meant we learnt even more about what we were seeing.
Project Tango: can I get it on my phone?
Not yet, but it won't be long. Google has already released two devices with Project Tango technology on board but both have been designed solely for software developers.
First was the Peanut phone, which has since gone off sale, and there is also the Yellowstone tablet with the tech included.
Lenovo has also announced an official partnership with Google to create the first Project Tango toting consumer device. That will be released in summer 2016, and it looks to be the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro.
Rumors point toward it being announced at the Lenovo Tech World conference, which kicks off on June 10. Maybe we'll see it officially unveiled at the press conference.
Leaks of that phone suggests it will have a 6.4-inch display as well as 3 separate cameras on the back to allow Project Tango to work.
The phone will likely be released in the next couple of months but it's going to take developers some extra time to start making apps that are ready for the tech.
