With some analysts expecting the next battlefield for a clash between smartphone giants Google and Apple to be augmented reality (AR), Google have responded to Apple’s ARKit toolset with its own, titled ARCore. Research and Development team Daydream Labs have now revealed some of the results of their experiments with the new toolset.
Google Street View is an incredibly useful tool for many reasons, and Daydream Labs are experimenting with ways to improve it further with the addition of AR. The prototype allows users to zoom into the British Museum and see Street View panoramas from Great Russell Street. The team also used AR to enhance the Stree View experience, allowing users to simply move to camera around to change to view and position, without needing to click any arrows.
The team has also been working on a way for architects to overlay models on top of construction in progress to show how a building will look when complete.
Training and education using AR is also on the agenda of Daydream Labs, as they have brought virtual reality (VR) training app Espresso Trainer into AR. The app allows users to use their phone to learn every step of creating a perfect espresso coffee. During testing, Daydream Alabs found that using the R app, people who had never used an espresso machine before were able to make a flawless espresso from scratch.
Other functions the team at Daydream Labs have been experimenting with includes controlling depth of field for AR content, allowing an AR content to ‘pop’ and be more noticeable to the user to encourage interaction. Also being played with is Google’s VPS beta, or Visual Positioning Service. The technology uses a combination of AR and GPS to help people find each other by sharing positions and using AR guidance.
VRFocus will continue to report on new innovation in AR technology.
via Mint VR