Google launched its AR development kit “ARCore” last year in July. The ARCore app uses smartphone’s camera to put a virtual object on the screen. The app works on 3 factors: Motion Sensors, Environmental studies, and light estimation. The app works only on Android devices for now but the AR division of Google is working to make the app smarter by adding new features. Google has rolled out an update recently that will allow the app to understand the depth of an object and it can even hide a virtual object in the camera.
Apple has the same software for its phones and the company calls it ARKit. The new feature for ARCore does not need two cameras to understand the physics and the depth of a room, it will work on a single camera. Google has made improvements in its software part so that more devices can be compatible with the app.
“The ARCore Depth API allows developers to use our depth-from-motion algorithms to create a depth map using a single RGB camera. The depth map is created by taking multiple images from different angles and comparing them as you move your phone to estimate the distance to every pixel.”
The update helps the app understand the depth of the room that means the app is now capable of calculating the distance of two objects(in real-world) so that it can fit a virtual object accordingly without any error. Google has started rolling this update to over 200 million ARCore supported devices.
The above video is shot from the updated ARCore app where the cat has been placed virtually behind the sofa. The previous version of ARCore would place the cat in the same place but the hidden part of the body would still be visible. This new feature is called “Occlusion”.