Introduction to Augmented Reality
As Apple prepares an enormous update to its iPhone operating system designed to thrust augmented reality into the mainstream, Google is hatching its own plan to get augmented reality apps on hundreds of thousands of Android phones by next yr. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company released a preview of a software development kit called ARCore that may help developers create augmented reality applications that work on existing and future Android phones.
What is Augmented Reality?
Unlike virtual reality, which completely blocks out the physical world, augmented reality overlays visuals and data onto an individual’s immediate surroundings — for instance, when viewed through a smartphone or tablet screen. Apps might include a virtual tape measure, a game that unfolds on an otherwise blank table when viewed through a smartphone’s camera, or digital drawings that magically hang fixed within the air whilst the user moves their phone around a room.
How ARCore Works
The secret’s that, unlike Google’s past efforts, no special hardware shall be required to run those apps beyond the usual camera built into most smartphones. David Burke, the corporate’s vp of Android engineering, said in a blog post that his team desires to have 100 million devices able to running augmented reality apps built with ARCore by the tip of the preview. Both Wired and The Verge reported that Google plans to officially roll the software out to users this winter.
Comparison with Apple’s ARKit
The announcement comes nearly three months after Apple announced its own augmented reality development platform for developers, called ARKit, in June. When iOS 11 — the following version of Apple’s mobile operating system — is released next month with ARKit baked in, it is going to enable lots of of hundreds of thousands of existing iPhones and iPads to run a brand new generation of augmented reality apps and games.
Project Tango: Google’s Previous Attempt
Google has spent the past three years working on one other augmented reality platform called Project Tango. However, unlike ARCore, that platform relied on purpose-built hardware with specialized sensors designed to measure the space of objects within the physical world — sensors that almost all phones and tablets lack. Only a handful of device makers actually built smartphones and tablets with the obligatory hardware, and the project did not entice developers into creating apps that only a limited audience could use.
The Future of Augmented Reality
Although the specialized hardware utilized in Project Tango allows for more precise and, arguably, more immersive augmented reality experiences, Apple — and now Google — are betting that having a more accessible experience that runs on a wide selection of current phones and tablets is a greater bet for making augmented reality a industrial success. Google says apps built with ARCore will run on devices which have Google’s 7.0 Nougat operating systems, starting with Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Google’s own Pixel smartphone.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Google’s ARCore is a big step towards making augmented reality a mainstream technology. With the power to run on existing and future Android phones, ARCore has the potential to bring augmented reality to hundreds of thousands of users. As the technology continues to evolve, we are able to expect to see more revolutionary and immersive augmented reality experiences that may change the best way we interact with the world around us.
