ARCore for Android

ARCore. © Google.

Google has launched a development kit for Android to ease the integration of augmented reality in mobile applications. Called ARCore, it works with Java/OpenGL, Unity and Unreal. It provides motion tracking using the telephone’s camera to observe feature points in the room, as well as IMU (inertial measurement unit) sensor data to accurately place virtual objects. Placement quality is enhanced with a horizontal surface detection feature, to recognize tables or shelves, for example. Finally, ARCore analyzes the ambient light in the environment, making it possible for developers to light virtual objects appropriately, for a more realistic appearance. The ARCore kit and demos are available for download. For the time being, just Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S8 phones are supported, but Google’s goal is to make kit-based applications run on any type of Android device. This announcement comes after Apple’s ARKit for iOS.

⇨ Ars Technica, “Google’s ARCore brings augmented reality to millions of Android devices.”