Google reveals AR software ARCore for Android devices

Search engine giant Google has released new software for app developers to bring augmented reality (AR) to mobile devices utilising the Android platform. The ARCore software development kit (SDK) builds on the firm's Tango platform and makes AR accessible for existing devices, without hardware modifications.

As revealed by Telecompaper, ARCore works initially with the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphones running Android 7.0. Google said, according to the report, that it aims to reach 100 million devices with the preview of the software and is also working with manufacturers such as Huawei, LG and Asus.

As stated by the report, ARCore works with a mobile phone's camera and sensors to determine the phone's position as it moves and places virtual objects around the user. It can also detect horizontal surfaces using the same feature points it uses for motion tracking and observing ambient light in the environment in order to light virtual objects and make them appear more real.

To help developers, Google is releasing prototype browsers for experimenting with AR. These custom browsers allow developers to create AR-enhanced websites and run them on both ARCore and Apple's AR platform unveiled in June 2017, ARKit.

Edited By: Darryl Linington
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