In the previous post, I presented a list of on-line resources that may help when we need to work from home and also manage with homeschooling, education and also entertain our kids. It looks like it is a popular topic these days, so I would like to present another way to keep the whole family entertained. Google 3D Augmented Reality. Thanks to this technology you can experience real size animals like tiger in your living room, a snake in your shower, or a bear in your garden. Thanks to Google collaboration with NASA, you can also generate some planets, including the Earth ๐ load into your bedroom and have a vertical journey with your little astronauts before you go to sleep.
Google introduced 3D augmented reality at the I/O conference in 2019. Thanks to this technology and the fact that our mobile phones are in fact quite powerful computers, we are now able to enjoy 3D object available through usual search.
It comes handy nowadays when we โ parents โ look desperately for a new ways to keep our little treasures entertained, but, on the other hands, donโt want them to spend hours just playing games or watching time-wasting videos on YouTube.
What is Augmented Reality (AR)? ๐ฆพ
I am going to just quote what Google says on their ARVR page
Augmented reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) bridge the digital and physical worlds. They allow you to take in information and content visually, in the same way, you take in the world. AR dramatically expands the ways our devices can help with everyday activities like searching for information, shopping, and expressing yourself. VR lets you experience what itโs like to go anywhere โ from the front row of a concert to distant planets in outer space.
What we need to view 3D Augmented Reality animals and other objects? ๐
The requirements are actually easy, and all modern phones should support this feature:
Android smartphone or tablet:
- Android 7.0 or higher w/ pre-installed Google Play Store
iPhone/iPad: - iOS 11.0 or higher
Thatโs it! It should include most popular smartphones, including Samsung Galaxy S8/S9/S10/S20, Note 8/9/10, any Google Pixel smartphone, and other Android devices from LG, Motorola, and other brands.
As for Apple devices, it goes even to iPhone 6S, 7, 8, and obviously includes more modern models like X, and 11.
How to see an animal in augmented reality using your phone? ๐ฒ
There is just a few simple steps to enjoy a snake in your shower or a bear in your garden.
We need to open Google search in your mobile browser and search for an animal.
Then we scroll results a bit until we see the โ3D viewโ section.
We click on it and voila ๐ฆ we can see a hedgehog on our desk.
3D Augmented Reality animals ๐
There are plenty of animals already scanned and uploaded to be available to see in augmented reality.
Here are some examples that I managed to see:
- Alligator
- Angler fish
- Brown bear
- Cat
- Cheetah
- Dog
- Duck
- Eagle
- Emperor penguin
- Giant panda
- Goat
- Hedgehog
- Horse
- Lion
- Macaw
- Octopus
- Shark
- Shetland pony
- Snakes Google 3d
- Tiger
- Turtle
- Wolf
There is also a few other object that we can see in 3D thanks for Google collaboration, mainly with NASA:
I hope you will enjoy time with your kids. In my opinion it is so cool that itโs for everyone, no matter the age. Iโs been lots of fun for us, including grown-up kids ๐น
What are your ideas to keep your family entertained? Have you found some other objects or that also work in 3D view via augmented reality? Our favourite was definitely snake Google 3d.
Thanks a latte โ๏ธ
You may also enjoy:
On-line resources for working from home with kids
First aid for work from home
Thanks for reading!
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