Google builds new VR180 for immersive video editing

VR is the next big thing across industries and Google has built special tools to help the technology excel in the field of gaming or entertainment.

Google has designed its new VR180 Creator tool for Mac and Linux which makes it easy to edit footage from cameras using the immersive format, Engadget reported. The tool essentially converts VR photos and videos into normal perspective in 2D. It turns the footage into a standard format to be edited in software such as Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro and share it after adding VR180 metadata. 

Recently, Chief executive Sundar Pichai, in a blog post outlining the company's artificial intelligence policies, noted that even though Google won't use AI for weapons, "we will continue our work with governments and the military in many other areas" including cybersecurity, training, and search and rescue. 

The news comes with Google facing pressure from employees and others over a contract with the US military, which the California tech giant said last week would not be renewed.

Recently, unnamed sources as saying that a Google's cloud team executive announced told employees that the company would not seek to renew the controversial contract after it expires next year. The contract was reported to be worth less than $10 million to Google, but was thought to have potential to lead to more lucrative technology collaborations with the military.

Google did not respond to a request for comment. Google has remained mum about Project Maven, which reportedly uses machine learning and engineering talent to distinguish people and objects in drone videos for the Defense Department. "We believe that Google should not be in the business of war," the employee petition reads, according to copies posted online.

With inputs from ANI