Google has officially released the latest features of Project Astra, which demonstrates its powerful smart assistant capabilities, enabling control over Android phones. This technology is currently available as an application to trusted testers and was demonstrated on the Pixel9Pro.
In the demonstration, users interacted in real-time with Astra while repairing a bicycle. The user first requested Astra to search for a PDF manual online. Astra then opened the document and displayed touch operations in the form of floating bubbles, with the interface emitting light so that users could clearly see the process of scrolling to the required page.
Next, Astra opened the YouTube app, searched for videos, and played the results. Then, Astra searched the user's Gmail for information related to a certain conversation. When the user showed multiple buckets full of accessories, Astra could highlight the correct bucket on the screen, a function similar to Google's Lens technology previewed at the I/O conference a few years ago.
Moreover, one impressive feature of Project Astra is that Astra can make calls on behalf of the user and query specific information. In the demonstration, Astra called a bike shop to inquire about the availability of a certain accessory and could call back after confirming the user's needs.
During the demonstration, when Astra paused in answering user questions due to interruptions from others, it automatically paused the conversation and ignored irrelevant exchanges. When the user requested to continue the reply, Astra smoothly resumed the session. Meanwhile, when the user asked about a dog-friendly bike basket, Astra's memory function recalled the dog's name.
Google refers to this functionality as "action intelligence," integrating multiple capabilities through the Gemini platform, including content retrieval, interface control, proxy highlighting, call assistance, knowledge guidance, context-aware dialogue, personalized shopping, and local audio conversations. Google's ultimate vision is to build a "universal AI assistant" that truly helps users in daily life. The Project Astra application will serve as a carrier for Google to test these functions, which will eventually be rolled out to consumers via Gemini Live.
Key Points:
🌟 Project Astra showcases Google's smart assistant functions, enabling control over Android phones.
📞 Astra can make calls on behalf of the user and query specific information.
🔍 This technology combines multiple capabilities to create a truly useful AI assistant.