It’s all about social distancing in these days due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Healthcare experts are regularly emphasizing the benefits of hygiene and maintaining a safe social distance of at least 6-feet from people around to escape the infection of COVID-19.
Google, the tech behemoth, has come up with a virtual social distancing tool that really help, called Solar to help users maintain an perfect reality circle of a radius of 6 feet around the body. The tool uses WebXR to make the 2 meter or 6 feet social distance.
Experiments with Google is the harbinger of this tool. The phone uses augmented reality to map the surface around you, superimposing the virtual ring on the view from your camera.
At the moment, the tool is available for Android users only. It will be available for iOS users as soon as possible. Notably, Old Android phones need to update their software to access this tool. To use the Sodar tool on your phone, you need to have the updated version of the Google ARCore. You can search for “Google Play Services for AR” on the Play Store and update/install it to use the tool.
Once that is done, you can scan the QR code to go to the mobile site.
1. Go to goo.gle/sodar
2. Tap on ‘Launch’
3. It will ask a permission like “create a 3D map of your surroundings and track camera positions.” Allow the permission.
4. Scan the ground. You have to point your phone camera down and move it around to find the ground. The measuring tool should then appear.
5. You will see a ring around you with a 6-foot radius
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) one-meter distance is good enough for safe to avoid contamination, but the distance number varies. Some governments and health authorities are advocating a 2-meter or 6 feet distance. The latest report says that corona droplets can carry a distance of 20 feet in some humid and cold time.
Google has taken care and privacy concerns too. Before using the mobile site, a pop up appears, which says, “While you’re in AR, this site may be able to: create a 3D draw map of your environment; track camera motion. Only you can see what your camera is looking at. The site can’t see your camera’s images.”
Src – technowize
