For anyone who's ever wanted a pet but had an inkling for one a little less conventional, now is your chance. Recently, Google has released a list of augmented-reality animals that can appear in your home with AR technology. You can also use this tool for a closer look at things like skeletons, microscopic cell structures, and dinosaurs from the comfort of your living room.
Google search now has AR this morning. I just conjured a tiger on NJT. The feature works for some animals right now (iOS, ARCore phones) pic.twitter.com/rJ3SJFUZX1
— Scott Stein (@jetscott) May 30, 2019
Since the feature has been launched, fans of the tech have been experimenting with putting wild animals out in the wild...kind of. Whether it's a 30-foot tall Shetland pony or a panda bear taking over New York City, everyone has got their space filled to the brim with animals. Some other notable choices are alligators, cats, tigers, sharks, and lions, to name a few.
Using an AR ready device (such as a recently updated iPhone or iPad) and type in the animal of your choosing. If it's in the software, it will show up on a list and you can select it. From there, point your camera at where you'd like the beast to end up and that's it! With a few simple clicks you can conjure up almost any animal in the world.
There have been talks of expanding the uses of this AR accessible technology in the coming years with the help of Google, Apple, and Microsoft. As of right now though, just playing with a virtual dog or seeing a data-driven octopus float by is pretty cool too.