Google is attempting to kickstart the next stage of the smartphone revolution with a new prototype phone that will track the device's motion in 3D while mapping the environment.

The five-inch phone contains customised hardware and software, with sensors that make over a quarter million 3D measurements every second. That allows the phone to update its position and orientation in real-time, giving rise to potential applications such as for finding directions inside an unfamiliar building, assisting the visually impaired and locating products inside stores.

The phone is part of Google’s latest undertaking, Project Tango, with its Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) unit.

“We are physical beings that live in a 3D world. Yet, our mobile devices assume that physical world ends at the boundaries of the screen,” Google said. “The goal of Project Tango is to give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion.”

The project team has been working with universities, research labs and industry partners in a bit to benefit from a decade of work in robotics and computer vision. The prototype phone is the result of that work.

Based on Android, the phone is aimed at developers who want to create applications that take advantage of the new technologies. However, only 200 devices will be available, and those who want to take part in the trial must apply to Google.