A few years ago, Google announced Project Tango, which required three cameras to bring Augmented Reality to life. Due to the complications with implementation, the project never really materialized beyond a couple of phones. Apple, on the other hand, introduced ARKit that uses a single camera on iPhones to bring Augmented Reality (AR) to the masses, and Google followed it with ARCore. Now, Google has added AR to its search results where you can look at life-size animals.
At I/O 2019 developer conference, Google had announced that it will be bringing some neat features to its search results, and the same has now been rolled out. To try this out, you’ll need an Android smartphone which supports ARCore or an ARKit ready iPhone. To begin with, the feature only has a handful of animals such as Tiger, lion, giant panda, and wolf to name a few.
How to see life-sized 3D animals up close
To begin with, you’ll need an eligible device. I tried it on the OnePlus 7, Galaxy S10+, Pixel 3a XL, iPhone 8 Plus, and it worked without any issues. To check the list of compatible devices, you can even head over to Google Developer site here. Now, once you have the compatible device, just head over to Google Search app or Chrome, and look for an animal in the search box.
Next, tap on “View in 3D,” and a 3D model will appear on your screen. You can rotate and get a 360-degree view of the animal. Next, you’ll see a small box and text that says “View in your space.” Here, the camera app will open and you’ll have to scan the environment to place the animal on a place, and well, you’ll be able to see the 3D animal in augmented reality.
You can move it around by tapping on it and dragging around. You can even use pinch-to-zoom to increase or decrease its size. Lastly, you can even click a photo of it. And if you want to stand or sit right next to the animal, well, that is possible too. Sounds fund right? Do give this a try and let us know what you think about the new feature in the comments section below.
