Google updating Nest Hub with Soli radar gesture technology

San Francisco

Google is working on adding its Soli radar gesture technology to the upcoming Nest Hub smart devices.

The company has registered a new "interactive device" at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that will feature a screen, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Zigbee support, along with Google's Soli radar gesture technology.

Soli is a miniature radar that understands human motions at various scales: from the tap of your finger to the movements of your body.

The "A4R-GUIK2" device is classified as an "interactive device," with Google previously using the "interactive" designation for Smart Displays and speakers.

Google's Nest Hub may be getting an update for the first time since its debut in 2018.

The "interactive device" classification is similar to what Google uses for its other smart devices like the original Nest Hub, Nest Hub Max, Nest Mini, Nest Wifi, and Nest Audio, reports 9to5Google.

This new device could support precise control using the radar technology.

"The Hub Max lets you play/pause media by holding up your palm to the front-facing camera. One could imagine this new Nest Hub supporting similar air gestures to skip/rewind tracks," the report mentioned.

There appears to be Soli at 58-63.5 GHz. The frequency range on the new Nest Thermostat is 61-61.5 GHz, while at the Pixel 4, it is 58-63.5 GHz.

According to Google, Soli aims to understand the nuances of human movements so that we can use our natural body language and gestures as a form of input.

"We created an interaction framework that groups human movements according to levels of proximity and engagement between the user and Soli: aware, engaged and active. The framework is based on regular human nonverbal communication models," according to the company.