At the 2019 I/O conference, Google announced that it would be adding augmented reality objects to its Search function, and over the last year have gradually added NASA’s Curiosity Rover, human anatomy and life-sized animals to their search results.
However, it wasn’t until much of the world’s population found themselves confined by Covid-19 and not able to visit zoos, safari parks and farms, that the 3D animals really became popular and shared across social media as the AR versions became a perfect way to appreciate animals whilst in isolation.
“You can view and interact with 3D objects right from Search and place them directly into your own space, giving you a sense of scale and detail” wrote Google Lens and AR VP Aparna Chennapragada on the company blog preceding the product’s launch.
Fonic worked with Nexus Studio and creative director Mark Perrett to bring some of these animals to life, including the popular Bengal tiger and four other animals from different kingdoms; the Shetland pony, angler fish, macaw and alligator. This was a fun project for us to work on, we really enjoyed creating audio that would add to the viewer’s experience of seeing these animals up close and personal.
If you want to join in, all you need to do is google the animal on a smart device, then in the box which asks if you would like to see the animal life-sized and up close click on the view in 3D, whereupon the animal will appear in your home.
You can find out more information on the project via Little Black Book, where they interviewed Mark about the creation process and you can view Google’s blog on the launch of the AR objects in Google search, here.
Finally here is a list of all the AR Animal available on Google, definitely one way to pass the time in lockdown!
- Alligator
- Angler fish
- Bear
- Brown bear
- Cat
- Cheetah
- Deer
- Dog (including French Bulldog, Golden / Labrador Retriever, Pomeranian, Pug and Rottweiler)
- Duck
- Eagle
- Emperor penguin
- Goat
- Hedgehog
- Horse
- Leopard
- Lion
- Macaw
- Octopus
- Panda
- Penguin
- Raccoon
- Shark
- Shetland pony
- Snake
- Bengal Tiger
- Turtle
- Wolf