TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) (FSE: RJIB) ("Rock Tech" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the signing of a binding Business Combination Agreement (BCA) to form a business combination with Arcore AG ("Arcore") an arm's length Swiss-based mining company The goal is to establish a fully integrated Lithium supply chain in Europe reducing dependence on other regions for critical battery raw materials Lithium is an essential mineral for the energy transition and demand in Europe is expected to triple by 2030 driven by the increasing need for batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems as estimated by McKinsey & Company's Battery Insight Demand Model comments: "Strong European supply chains are essential to secure the regions' strategic autonomy promote industrial competitiveness and enable the transformation to a climate-neutral economy Europe is currently heavily dependent on imports of critical raw materials such as lithium This is an important step for Rock Tech to become the European leader in battery raw materials supply." states: "Caring for this exceptionally vital asset of the Republic of Srpska is a fiduciary duty that we assume with the utmost responsibility.  It is with that responsibility in mind that we formally submit our concession application.  It is a privilege for Arcore alongside Rock Tech to play a defining role in the creation of an independent European supply chain of critical metals." Managing Director of Arcore Doo in Bosnia-Herzegovina thanks to our collaboration and association with Rock Tech and their cutting-edge technological innovations will be the standard bearer of new trends in the development of sustainable mining in this traditional mining region." Rock Tech and Arcore will establish a new European entity (NewCo) it is intended that (i) Rock Tech will contribute the shares of its wholly owned subsidiary Rock Tech Guben GmbH to NewCo and will hold shares in NewCo representing 75% of NewCo's registered share capital and that (ii) ARCORE will contribute the shares of its wholly owned subsidiary AR CORE d.o.o to NewCo and hold shares representing 25% of NewCo's registered share capital The core assets of NewCo will include Rock Tech's fully permitted Lithium converter in Guben and Arcore's lithium-boron-magnesium mining project in Lopare It is envisioned that the Lopare project will deliver Lithium Sulphate feedstock (produced at site) to the Guben Converter from 2030 onwards; in addition to the already secured spodumene supply from contracted partners Utilizing Lithium Sulphate as future feedstock is a key step in establishing a circular Lithium economy and reducing production costs significantly This approach aligns with Rock Tech's recycling flowsheet for which Lithium Sulphate from black mass recycling is used and subsequently refined into battery-grade Lithium hydroxide at Rock Tech's converters By processing Lithium raw material to Lithium Sulphate at-site in Lopare an important value-adding step will remain in-country Rock Tech will engage closely with the local communities as part of the permitting process leveraging its expertise gained from developing its Georgia Lake lithium project in Canada The Arcore deposit will be developed in cooperation with local stakeholders and in compliance with the strictest environmental The company plans to obtain certification under the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) standard The centerpiece of Rock Tech's European activities is its planned Lithium-Hydroxide Monohydrate ("LHM") Converter in the Brandenburg battery cluster designed to produce battery-grade LHM for up to 500,000 electric vehicles per year The project is currently in its final financing phase environmental and operation permits and engineering studies completed The state of Brandenburg supports the project due to its high strategic relevance Engineering and project management firm Worley Ltd has been selected as the EPCM provider for the Guben Converter and LHM offtake agreements as well feedstock supply have been secured Arcore's mineral deposit in the Lopare region of Bosnia-Herzegovina has the potential to become one of the largest lithium mines in Europe with estimated 600.000 tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) According to the CSA Global Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) the deposit contains an indicated resource of 426Mt grading 561ppm Li2O and 0.95% B2O3 and an inferred resource of 864Mt grading 579ppm Li2O and 0.67% B2O3 the deposit contains significant concentrations of other valuable minerals Internal estimates indicate that within the resource area the material contains an average of 9.41% MgO While these elements are not included in the reported Mineral Resource Estimate they highlight the broader economic potential of the deposit completed a Mineral Resource Estimate titled "Lopare-Boron-Lithium-Project" as finalized on November 30 2022 with report number R268.2022 The Mineral Resource Estimate is summarized below in Table 1 Arcore AG being a privately-owned Switzerland-based lithium mining company opted to adhere to Australian JORC Code 2012 guidelines meaning that such mineral resource estimate may not align fully with the reporting requirements of Canada's National Instrument 43-101 The Lopare deposit remains highly prospective with significant potential to expand the existing resource through additional exploration and technical studies and Al₂O₃ are not currently included in the Mineral Resource Estimate ongoing geometallurgical and mineralogical studies will further assess their economic significance exploration beyond the defined Mineral Resource suggests geological continuity This exploration target highlights the opportunity for further resource growth and optimization through future drilling programs and study work Following the successful completion of the exploration phase the project has now applied for a Mining Concession The first important step in the new joint venture will be the finalization of the pre-feasibility study to further assess the technical scope and quantify the economic benefits of the project In addition to developing possible mining and processing methods this study will comprehensively examine the environmental and social compatibility of the project The study will be carried out by an internationally experienced engineering consultancy company Rock Tech and Arcore are taking a significant step toward securing a sustainable and competitive lithium supply chain in Europe reinforcing the continent's battery industry and energy transition goals SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE The scientific and technical disclosure included in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Cameron Andrews a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure of Mineral Projects.  CLOSING CONDITIONS The completion of this transaction remains subject to the fulfillment of all customary closing conditions including but not limited to regulatory approvals and compliance with applicable legal and tax requirements Neither the TSX venture exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX venture exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.  There are no finders' fees associated with this transaction Rock Tech's vision is to supply the electric vehicle and battery industry with sustainable the company plans to build Lithium converters at the doorstep of its customers beginning with the Company's proposed Lithium-Hydroxide Converter in Guben Rock Tech Lithium plans to source spodumene from its own Georgia Lake project in the Thunder Bay Mining District of Ontario and procure from other ESG-compliant mines including sourcing intermediary Lithium products Rock Tech's goal is to create a closed-loop Lithium production system Rock Tech has gathered one of the strongest teams in the industry to close the most pressing gap in the clean mobility story The Company has adopted strict environmental social and governance standards and is developing a proprietary refining process to increase efficiency and sustainability further Arcore is a privately-owned Switzerland-based lithium mining company with extensive lithium resources and a commitment to environmental and safety standards while seeking to accelerate Europe's energy transition reliably. https://arcore.ch/ Arcore AG CAUTIONARY NOTE CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws and are referred to herein as "forward-looking statements" outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur are forward-looking statements "could" or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements this press release contains forward-looking information pertaining to expectations or predictions concerning the establishment of the joint venture company and/or about the mineral resource or reserve or outcome and proof of the expected potential of the Lopare Lithium project the Company's and/or Arcore's intentions with respect to the development and timing thereof and statements regarding further exploration activities future plans activities and schedules relating to such projects and related development including the design and features of the Guben Converter and/or the Lopare Lithium project as well as the potential of the Lopare Lithium project and the expected costs timing and outcomes thereof; statements regarding the Company's future plans and schedules relating to the joint venture company the Guben Converter and/or the Lopare Lithium project including the benefits and achievement thereof and future actions taken by the Company in relation thereto; expected regulatory processes and final outcomes permits and mining concessions; expectations regarding the electric vehicle industry including the demand for and pricing of battery-grade Lithium Hydroxide and the benefits therefrom expectations regarding the exploration targets and future drilling programs and the development of political and regulatory frameworks especially in Germany Bosnia-Herzegovina and the European Union; Rock Tech's opinions beliefs and expectations regarding the Company's business strategy development and exploration opportunities and projects; and plans and objectives of management for the Company's operations and properties Forward-looking statements by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements uncertainties and other factors discussed in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis and annual information form filed with the applicable securities regulators No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur and the Company cautions the reader not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements nor does it assume any obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements except to the extent required by applicable law (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) (FWB: RJIB) (WKN: A1XF0V) (the "Company" or "Rock Tech") is.. (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) (FWB: RJIB) (WKN: A1XF0V) (the "Company" or "Rock Tech") has .. Mining & Metals Mining & Metals Mining Mining Do not sell or share my personal information: The JV is finalising a pre-feasibility study to evaluate the viability of Arcore’s Lopare lithium project Canadian miner Rock Tech Lithium has signed a binding business combination agreement with Swiss junior mining company Arcore to merge their subsidiaries and establish a new European entity named NewCo Rock Tech will transfer the shares of its fully owned subsidiary to NewCo in exchange for a 75% stake in NewCo’s registered share capital Arcore will contribute the shares of its wholly owned subsidiary to NewCo and receive a 25% stake in NewCo’s registered share capital This strategic move aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on other regions for critical battery raw materials and create a reliable battery materials supply chain NewCo’s core assets will include Rock Tech’s fully permitted lithium converter in Guben and Arcore’s lithium-boron-magnesium mining project in Lopare which contains an estimated 600,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent Rock Tech CEO and chairman Dirk Harbecke: “Strong European supply chains are essential to secure the regions’ strategic autonomy Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis “Europe is currently heavily dependent on imports of critical raw materials such as lithium This is an important step for Rock Tech to become the European leader in battery raw materials supply.” Rock Tech will engage with local communities and leverage its expertise from the Georgia Lake lithium project in Canada Arcore’s Lopare lithium project has the potential to become one of Europe’s largest lithium mines is in its final financing phase with all necessary permits and studies completed The Lopare deposit’s exploration phase has concluded and a mining concession application is under way Arcore Interim CEO Jeff Stone said: “Caring for this exceptionally vital asset of the Republic of Srpska is a fiduciary duty that we assume with the utmost responsibility It is with that responsibility in mind that we formally submit our concession application It is a privilege for Arcore alongside Rock Tech to play a defining role in the creation of an independent European supply chain of critical metals.” The joint venture’s (JV) next step is finalising the pre-feasibility study to assess the project’s technical and economic viability including its environmental and social compatibility Arcore Doo in Bosnia-Herzegovina managing director Vladimir Rudic said: “The Lopare project will be the standard bearer of new trends in the development of sustainable mining in this traditional mining region.” Arcore’s Lopare project is set to supply lithium sulphate feedstock to Rock Tech’s Guben converter from 2030 complementing the spodumene supply from contracted partners The Guben lithium converter is poised to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate for up to 500,000 electric vehicles annually Worley has been appointed as the engineering procurement and construction management provider for the converter Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Rock Tech Lithium announces the establishment of a new company called NewCo together with the Swiss mining company Arcore the joint venture will operate Rock Tech's planned lithium refinery in Brandenburg the aim is to establish a fully integrated supply chain from the mine to battery-grade lithium in Europe NewCo will not only operate Rock Tech’s site in Guben but also Arcore’s lithium mine in Lopare Both sides signed a binding agreement this week for the purpose of founding the company according to which both shareholders will merge their subsidiaries Rock Tech intends to contribute the shares of its wholly-owned subsidiary Rock Tech Guben GmbH and will hold 75 per cent of the shares in the newly created company once the transaction has been completed Arcore will contribute its Bosnia-Herzegovina-based subsidiary AR CORE d.o.o and acquire the remaining 25 per cent Rock Tech now states that the Lopare project will supply lithium precursors to the Guben converter from 2030 (in addition to the spodumene deliveries already secured from contractual partners) The aim is to produce battery-grade lithium for up to 500,000 electric vehicles per year in Brandenburg “The project is currently in its final financing phase environmental and operation permits and engineering studies completed,” the company announced comments: “Strong European supply chains are essential to secure the regions’ strategic autonomy This is an important step for Rock Tech to become the European leader in battery raw materials supply.” rocktechlithium.com, arcore.ch I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology 434 reads 434 readsAfter Google Gave Up on Sceneform, This Developer Built a Better Way to Bring AR Faces to Life by droid-girlJanuary 25th, 2025Too Long; Didn't ReadIn this article you will build a simple AR demo by writing a few lines of code. When Sceneform was discontinued and archived back in 2020 it made creating ARCore apps on Android more difficult Inspired by the original Sceneform APIs and based on the ARCore samples I have created AugmentedFaceFragment and AugmentedFaceListener interface to be able to easily create ARCore AugmentedFaces features on Android I will be releasing 3 articles building different AugmentedFaces features using AugmentedFaceFragment and AugmentedFaceListener interface Part 1 of the series will cover the basics of the AugmentedFaceFragment and AugmentedFaceListener as well as the overview of all the helper classes At the end of this article you will build a simple demo by writing a few lines of code Our starting point is a modified version of ARCore SDK sample for Augmented Faces The code has been modified in a way that we can now easily add different textures and objects to a face object In activity_main.xml we add AugmentedFaceFragment as a main view and to be able to receive events from this fragment we need to define and set AugmentedFaceListener to our fragment onFaceAdded method will be called when ARCore detects a new face and onFaceUpdate will be called on each frame update We will use ARCore sample assets for our first face mask You can find assets/models folder in your project In MainActivity.kt modify onFaceAdded method as follows: AugmentedFace class uses the face mesh and center pose to identify face regions This project includes the AugmentedFaceNode class it is a node that will render visual effects on a detected face using ARCore AugmentedFaceNode defines same face regions as AugmentedFace in a companion object: we will extend FaceLandmark enum class and add our own face regions AugmentedFaceNode includes faceLandmarks HashMapthat connects FaceLandmark with a 3D model The source code for this project can be found here With more than two billion active devices, Android is the largest mobile platform in the world. And for the past nine years, we’ve worked to create a rich set of tools, frameworks and APIs that deliver developers’ creations to people everywhere. Today, we’re releasing a preview of a new software development kit (SDK) called ARCore It brings augmented reality capabilities to existing and future Android phones Developers can start experimenting with it right now We’ve been developing the fundamental technologies that power mobile AR over the last three years with Tango which means it can scale across the Android ecosystem starting today with the Pixel and Samsung’s S8 We’re targeting 100 million devices at the end of the preview We’re working with manufacturers like Samsung ASUS and others to make this possible with a consistent bar for quality and high performance Unity and Unreal and focuses on three things: Motion tracking: Using the phone’s camera to observe feature points in the room and IMU sensor data ARCore determines both the position and orientation (pose) of the phone as it moves Environmental understanding: It’s common for AR objects to be placed on a floor or a table ARCore can detect horizontal surfaces using the same feature points it uses for motion tracking Alongside ARCore, we’ve been investing in apps and services which will further support developers in creating great AR experiences. We built Blocks and Tilt Brush to make it easy for anyone to quickly create great 3D content for use in AR apps. As we mentioned at I/O we’re also working on Visual Positioning Service (VPS) a service which will enable world scale AR experiences well beyond a tabletop And we think the Web will be a critical component of the future of AR so we’re also releasing prototype browsers for web developers so they can start experimenting with AR These custom browsers allow developers to create AR-enhanced websites and run them on both Android/ARCore and iOS/ARKit Get the latest news from Google in your inbox This tutorial gives you a step-by-step breakdown of how to use AR View on your Android device so you can make the right choices and see how things will look in your place These steps are crucial to unlock AR View and immerse yourself in the world of augmented reality shopping Select from 15,000 home furnishing products to visualize in your space either by scrolling through categories or top picks at the bottom of the screen making sure to arrange them precisely in your space Google Maps will soon show new AR experiences at interesting locations Updates for Geospatial Creator and ARCore are also coming At I/O 2024, Google announced a pilot program to showcase AR content from select partners on Google Maps The platform will display the geospatial AR content in Street View and via Google Lens on smartphones users simply need to look up a location in Google Maps If AR content is available for the selected point of interest tap the image labeled "AR Experience" and point your smartphone as you would with Google Lens If you are exploring a location from a distance the same AR experience can be displayed in Street View Experiences can also be shared and amplified on social media via a deep link or QR code The early access program will launch later this year as a six-month pilot in Singapore and Paris Google is working with the Singapore Tourism Board and Google Arts & Culture to develop use cases that demonstrate how partners can reach the broadest and most relevant audiences Google also announced that Geospatial Creator in Adobe Aero is now available to all developers worldwide with improved localization speed and anchor accuracy developers have been able to use Geospatial Creator in Unity to create and customize anchors at scale using C# The Places API from the Google Maps Platform now makes it possible to create content once and anchor it to any location the ARCore Geospatial API is now available in India At Google I/O 2024, the company also showed a prototype of data glasses with a built-in AI assistant called Project Astra This multimodal assistant can continuously register everything it sees and hears and react to it in a context-sensitive manner it is unclear how serious Google is about data glasses Compared to previous years, VR plays a minimal role at I/O 2024 the topic was almost completely absent from the program Google is focusing entirely on artificial intelligence as the company's core technology Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links MIXED receives a commission from the provider Home » Rock Tech-Arcore Alliance To Boost Europe’s Lithium Supply and Arcore recently announced a strategic partnership to secure a reliable and long-term supply of lithium products for Rock Tech’s European converter operations. Industry sources added that the parties intend to regionally source sustainable European lithium from Arcore’s wholly-owned Lopare mining project in Bosnia and Herzegovina to feed Rock Tech’s conversion facility a privately owned Swiss-based lithium mining company have agreed to explore a strategic partnership with the aim of securing a long-term supply of lithium chemicals to Rock Tech’s European converter This partnership is intended to enable Rock Tech to access Arcores considerable lithium resources at its Lopare Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina This forthcoming collaboration is an unambiguous proof of the development of a regional and domestic value chain for EV batteries within Europe to which both companies are contributing through lithium supply and conversion Industry sources also added that the parties intend to define product specifications and negotiate an offtake agreement including quantities and prices The Parties are committed to working towards a zero-waste and net-zero emission production of lithium “Arcore’s project is an important element of our regional supply strategy Linking with Arcore also demonstrates how important our converter in Europe is for making lithium consumable for European cathode and battery manufacturers I’m looking forward to taking and implementing the next steps which will undoubtedly meet the industry’s needs,” stated Rock Tech’s CEO Dirk Harbecke Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Arcore “Arcore is delighted to partner with Rock Tech and we look forward to a successful and synergetic relationship but also strategically for the European continent as a whole Our supply of lithium will contribute to Rock Tech’s cutting-edge converter operations.” Source Interested to read articles on Lithium Products Vertiv unveils new power and cooling solutions, including lithium-ion models Daimler Truck partners Manz for lithium-ion battery cells of trucks and buses Pylontech’s lithium-ion battery receives JET certificate in Japan Montavista launches new line of lithium metal battery products World Business Outlook is a print and online magazine providing comprehensive coverage and analysis of the financial industry, international business and the global economy. Oz is a kind of augmented reality picture book: it places animated characters from The Wizard of Oz into the physical world I’d tried it a few months earlier at Google I/O But the experience was far more interesting — because for the first time it could run on a phone that I use every day This version of Oz was built on a system called ARCore ARCore is Android’s equivalent to Apple ARKit: a baked-in augmented reality platform for developers Where Tango’s custom hardware requirements have left it languishing on mediocre smartphones ARCore is less powerful but more accessible It’s launching on the year-old Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S8 phones supported by Android 7.0 Nougat as well as its recently released successor Android Oreo An official launch is loosely planned for this winter when Google promises ARCore will work with 100 million existing and upcoming devices Google is under pressure to compete with Apple but they’ve had little mainstream appeal Google was taking key pieces and adapting them for ordinary phones where they could work without Tango’s two extra cameras Now that Google considers ARCore good enough for a wide release Tango-branded devices — like the Asus ZenFone AR that came out just a few weeks ago — seem to be a thing of the past “I think Tango fades into the background as more an enabling technology that kind of works behind the scenes,” says Bavor It’s not technically dead; Google will supposedly keep pushing for new and better cameras based on Tango tech But these would be added to phones as an element of ARCore which estimates a phone’s relative location based on internal sensors and video footage — so you can pin objects in one place and walk around them which uses the camera to detect flat surfaces which helps virtual props cast accurate shadows and otherwise fit in with their surroundings Google is also showcasing a few semi-interactive tricks you can set a little Android mascot down in a virtual forest where it’ll wave when you hold your phone to its face the Cowardly Lion jumps in fear if you turn the lights out These are the same kind of capabilities you’ll find in Apple’s ARKit and I haven’t spent enough time with either platform to rigorously compare their quality But my controlled demo at Google’s offices was one of the best experiences I’ve had with phone-based AR Objects didn’t jitter when I walked around them the way I’ve seen even some official ARKit demos do Props were surprisingly good at popping back into place when I turned the camera away or covered it up although they couldn’t recover when I lowered the phone and strolled around the conference room Android developers can make augmented reality apps without ARCore just like iOS developers can do without ARKit and Google isn’t building for every possible use case although characters in Oz do respond when the camera sees a face But Bavor promises that for basic AR tracking Google has optimized ARCore’s performance more than an outside developer could do I think will be several levels above the other solutions out there.” it worked about as smoothly as the app-based equivalent Not all Tango tools adapt so well to ARCore relies on Tango’s dedicated infrared depth-sensing camera to create detailed 3D meshes is really kind of detecting surfaces to place things on as opposed to the full 3D structures,” says Bavor ARCore also has to estimate scale based on the camera feed Things like Wayfair’s furniture previews might be less accurate as a result although AR director of product Nikhil Chandhok says that “for all the apps that we think that users want,” the difference is negligible Tango developers have found some fun and interesting things to do with AR Bavor says that people “light up” when they place impossible objects into the world and interior design apps seem like a natural fit someone even hacked together an app for Google’s complicated espresso machine — if you hold up your phone you’ll see instructions like “Put your grounds here” or “Don’t touch this piece it’s hot” overlaid on the camera image But the best AR apps might not emerge until other Google products advance, too. Combined with more accurate mapping data, Bavor says, ARCore could let your phone point out specific buildings or street corners. He also brings up Google’s recently announced “visual positioning service,” which is supposed to pinpoint indoor locations within a few centimeters you could conjure an AR prop and come back to it much later ARCore isn’t just an Android feature, it’s a new way to deliver Google services Update 12:30PM ET: Google tells us that ARCore will run on Pixel phones running Android Nougat, not just the newer Oreo. Calif. — Ever since last year’s Pokemon Go craze interest in augmented reality (AR)-driven applications has been on the rise who can resist seeing 3-D cartoon characters seemingly inhabiting the real world around us via our smartphone screens As successful and eye-opening as Pokemon Go has been for the concept of augmented reality it really wasn’t the way most people in the tech industry thought AR would come to the public’s attention Original expectations for augmented and virtual reality were primarily focused on goggle-like head-worn displays such as the HTC Vive Sony’s Playstation VR and Microsoft’s HoloLens there’s been an increasing recognition that widespread availability and adoption of glasses-like AR devices is still several years off there’s been a great deal more attention focused on creating AR applications for smartphones At the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June Apple created a lot of buzz with the announcement of ARKit a set of software tools that iOS app developers can use to more easily create AR-based apps for iPhones and iPad apps Numerous app developers have already started sharing their early efforts (just search the web for ARKit demos and you’ll find lots of cool examples) and Apple is expected to make a big deal about some of these ARKit-enabled apps at the upcoming iPhone launch event expected to occur on Sept. 12 earlier this week Google unveiled its answer to ARKit — the similarly-named ARCore for Android devices ARCore will only work with Samsung’s S8 and S8+ and Google’s Pixel phone Google promised to have support for 100 million Android phones ARCore is part of what’s called an SDK (software development kit) Android developers to build clever new apps that can place digital objects into your smartphone screen’s view of the real world ARCore is actually Google’s second effort with augmented reality on smartphones but somewhat overengineered effort that required several specialized (and expensive) cameras to be added to traditional smartphones Few vendors introduced Tango-enabled phones as a result and the project ended up having little impact on the market Google claims it learned a great deal from that effort and have leveraged that knowledge into ARCore which is expected to run on a large percentage of modern Android phones Leveraging the smartphone’s camera and other sensors It then uses that information to enable some pretty compelling “additions” to our real-world view and some amazing new apps built with the new ARCore tools the challenge with any smartphone-based AR apps is the fact that you have to hold up and hold out your phone to use them which can get tiring very quickly (hence the strong and early interest in glasses-like devices) Most smartphone-based AR apps will likely be used for shorter interactions as a result but that doesn’t mean they won’t be useful — it just puts more onus on developers to create apps that do what they need to do quickly and efficiently the growth and interest in AR-based apps will likely drive some important technologies into future smartphones as well The ability to quickly recognize different types of objects is a key capability in the new Movidius Myriad X visual processing unit (VPU) that Intel just unveiled this week future iterations of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips are expected to have a Spectra image signal processor (ISP) that can do active depth sensing on smartphones with multiple cameras allowing them to build more accurate 3-D maps of the visual world seen by the smartphone’s camera could be used by ARCore-based apps to deliver even more compelling augmented reality experiences Both of these new elements highlight two key trends expected to impact future smartphone development: the increasing use of non-typical computing chips (in other words something besides normal CPUs and GPUs) as a means of differentiation and the growth of machine learning and artificial intelligence-based applications Each of these will enable today’s smartphone vendors to start bringing more innovations to the technologically stalled smartphone market and will drive the kind of exciting new applications that augmented reality is bound to enable in the years to come USA TODAY columnist Bob O'Donnell is the president and chief analyst of TECHnalysis Research a market research and consulting firm that provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community His clients are major technology firms including Microsoft we’re rolling out a major update to ARCore to help developers build more collaborative and immersive augmented reality apps Just a Line will be updated with Cloud Anchors and available on Android & iOS in the coming weeks 3D apps without having to learn complicated APIs like OpenGL They can use it to build AR apps from scratch as well as add AR features to existing ones The New York Times used Sceneform for faster AR development Developers can start building with these new capabilities today, and you can try augmented reality apps enabled by ARCore on the Google Play Store My Tamagotchi Forever Tender Claws created TendAR, a game that features Guppy, a virtual fish that responds to users’ facial expressions and survives by “eating” other people’s emotions. The game was created by combining ARCore with Google Cloud APIs, which provides computer vision and object recognition. You can read more about how they created the experience in this case study TendAR will be available to download starting in July 2018 Augmented reality can bring anything into your space which helps when you’re trying to understand the size and scale of things before you buy or ship them Here are a few experiences built by our retail partners to aid you in making smarter decisions: Pottery Barn 360 Room View you can view furniture in your room to see how it pairs with your existing pieces change the color and fabric of furniture before deciding which looks best and can purchase what you’ve picked out directly from the app eBayeBay is using AR to solve a specific challenge facing their community of sellers: what size shipping container is needed to send that product With the “Which Box” feature in eBay’s app sellers can visualize shipping boxes to determine which container size they need to send any product Over the last few months, we’ve been tinkering with experiments that show how AR can be used as a new creative medium for self-expression. We’ve worked with creators across different disciplines to explore what happens when AR is used by illustrators, choreographers, animators and more Now, we’re inviting more people to experiment with this technology through an app that lets you make simple drawings in AR, and then share your creation with a short video. The caveat: it’s “Just a Line.” We’re open sourcing the core code of the app so developers can use it as a starting point for their own ARCore projects, and we’re excited to see what people create with Just a Line. Download it on Google Play Anyone with an ARCore-enabled phone can jump into most of these experiences from the Play Store right now, and developers can get started building their own apps today we’re working to make smartphone cameras smarter ARCore enables developers to build apps that can understand your environment and place objects and information in it Google Lens uses your camera to help make sense of what you see whether that’s automatically creating contact information from a business card before you lose it or soon being able to identify the breed of a cute dog you saw in the park we're launching ARCore 1.0 along with new support for developers and we’re releasing updates for Lens and rolling it out to more people ARCore, Google’s augmented reality SDK for Android is out of preview and launching as version 1.0 Developers can now publish AR apps to the Play Store ARCore works on 100 million Android smartphones and advanced AR capabilities are available on all of these devices It works on 13 different models right now (Google’s Pixel Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL; Samsung’s Galaxy S8 S7 and S7 edge; LGE’s V30 and V30+ (Android O only); ASUS’s Zenfone AR; and OnePlus’s OnePlus 5) we’re partnering with many manufacturers to enable their upcoming devices this year Making ARCore work on more devices is only part of the equation. We’re also bringing developers additional improvements and support to make their AR development process faster and easier. ARCore 1.0 features improved environmental understanding that enables users to place virtual assets on textured surfaces like posters, furniture, toy boxes, books, cans and more. Android Studio Beta now supports ARCore in the Emulator so you can quickly test your app in a virtual environment right from your desktop Everyone should get to experience augmented reality so we’re working to bring it to people everywhere We’ll be supporting ARCore in China on partner devices sold there—starting with Huawei Xiaomi and Samsung—to enable them to distribute AR apps through their app stores place furniture and over 100,000 other pieces with Easyhome Homestyler see items and place them in your home when you shop on JD.com your phone’s camera can help you understand the world around you and we’re expanding availability of the Google Lens preview you can get more information about what’s in your photo Lens will be available to all Google Photos English-language users who have the latest version of the app on Android and iOS English-language users on compatible flagship devices will get the camera-based Lens experience within the Google Assistant We’ll add support for more devices over time we’ve continued to make improvements to Google Lens the ability to create contacts and events from a photo in one tap and—in the coming weeks—improved support for recognizing common animals and plants Smarter cameras will enable our smartphones to do more developers can start building delightful and helpful AR experiences for them right now makes it easier to search and take action on what you see we'll see more ways that they can help people have fun and get more done on their phones TORONTO and ZUG, Switzerland, Nov. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) (FWB: RJIB) (WKN: A1XF0V) (the "Company" or "Rock Tech") and Arcore are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to secure a reliable and long-term supply of lithium products for Rock Tech's European converter operations The parties intend to regionally source sustainable European lithium from Arcore's wholly-owned Lopare mining project in Bosnia and Herzegovina to feed Rock Tech's conversion facility a privately-owned Swiss-based lithium mining company have agreed to explore a strategic partnership with the aim to secure long-term supply of lithium chemicals to Rock Tech's European converter This partnership is intended to enable Rock Tech to access Arcores considerable lithium resources at its Lopare Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina This forthcoming collaboration is an unambiguous proof of the development of a regional and domestic value chain for EV batteries within Europe As next steps the Parties intend to define product specifications negotiate an offtake agreement including quantities and prices "Arcore's project is an important element of our regional supply strategy Linking with Arcore also demonstrates how important our converter in Europe is for making lithium consumable for European cathode and battery manufacturers I'm looking forward to taking and implementing the next steps which will undoubtedly meet the industry's needs," said Rock Tech's CEO Dirk Harbecke "Arcore is delighted to partner with Rock Tech Our supply of lithium will contribute to Rock Tech's cutting-edge converter operations." Arcore is a privately-owned Switzerland-based lithium mining company with extensive lithium resources and a commitment to environmental and safety standards while seeking to accelerate Europe's energy transition reliably. https://arcore.ch/ Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws and are referred to herein as "forward-looking statements" this press release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the outcome of amount quality of products from Arcore's future mining operations regulatory decisions and outcomes; schedules and completion dates; access to capital markets and other sources of financing; the supply and demand for intermediate and final lithium products; future exchange and interest rates; general business and economic conditions; the costs and results of development exploration and operating activities; Rock Tech's ability to procure supplies and other equipment necessary for its business; and the accuracy and reliability of technical data estimates and studies;; Rock Tech's opinions beliefs and expectations regarding the outcome of the above mentioned agreement development and exploration opportunities and projects and plans and objectives of management for the Company's operations and properties; the pending development of Arcore's development their accuracy and reliability of technical data There may also be other factors that cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements or known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may the Company's ability to access additional funding required to invest in available opportunities and projects is technology that attempts to simulate human cognitive function AI has made its way into the software development space in a number of ways Visit the AI article list to expand your AI knowledge Learn More Observability is a way for development teams in an organization to view their program state Failing to provide developers with insight into their tools and processes could lead to unaddressed bugs and even system failures Read about the latest observability content here Learn More the CI/CD pipeline was simply a place to integrate code Developers would write their code in GitHub The pipeline has become a much more critical piece of the software delivery lifecycle today Learn More infrastructure-as-code and more to enable speed in app development and deployment Learn More Deploy Distributed PostgreSQL in just 90 Seconds Learn More With more development teams today using open-source and third-party components to build out their applications the biggest area of concern for security teams has become the API This is where vulnerabilities are likely to arise as keeping on top of updating those interfaces has lagged Read the Guide Here Mobile App Testing involves analyzing mobile apps for functionality and consistency across multiple mobile devices It helps ensure an optimal user experience irrespective of the device used to access the app Learn More Today’s distributed software environments incorporate a variety of APIs with every interface your software touches Each API has to be continuously tested and verified to ensure your software functions as it should Parasoft’s API testing platform makes quick Learn More and make sure your software performs as expected under diverse operating conditions Learn More DevSecOps is the DevOps community’s approach to bringing security into the development lifecycle but cannot afford to release unreliable or insecure applications— therefore security needs to be baked in much sooner than it has traditionally been Learn More Securing an application is just as important as building it in the first place there are more people who want to steal it and use it for their own personal gain Making sure applications are indeed secure has always been a challenge as hackers try to stay one step ahead of defenders Learn More Secrets are essential for integrating your infrastructure with databases and SaaS services. Doppler‘s developer-first security platform empowers teams to manage, orchestrate, and govern secrets across any environment. there was an 18% decline in the number of open-source projects that are considered to be “actively maintained.” This is according to Sonatype’s Annual State of the Software Supply Chain Report Learn More Development Managers need a different type of content than developers… They need to know what platforms SD Times delivers those unique topics here Learn More Agile software development has been around since the 1990s but didn’t get the name until the famous meeting of 17 renowned software development thought leaders at Snowbird The idea behind Agile software development is to reduce time to market by enabling faster iterations of smaller segments of software Learn More Value stream management involves people in the organization to examine workflows and other processes to ensure they are deriving the maximum value from their efforts while eliminating waste — of resources It is the practice that truly brings the business side and IT side together as partners in creating value for the organization Learn More Learn More DevOps is a methodology in the software development and IT industry DevOps integrates and automates the work of software development and IT operations as a means for improving and shortening the systems development life cycle Learn More Gravitee helps organizations manage and secure their entire API lifecycle with solutions for API design, management, security, productization, real-time observability, and more. Google has announced the release of ARCore 1.0. ARCore is the company’s augmented reality SDK for Android. Google recently abandoned its previous AR initiatives, Project Tango developers will now be able to publish AR apps to the Play Store Features of the latest release include improved environmental understanding allowing users to place virtual assets on textured surfaces ARCore is also now supported in the Android Studio Beta emulator so developers can test apps in virtual environments from their desktop ARCore currently works on 13 different models including the Pixel line and Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ The company is partnering with other device manufacturers to enable ARCore on their devices this year Google has also partnered with some companies to showcase how they can use AR in their apps Snapchat created an immersive experience that places users in FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium and Sotheby’s International Realty is using it to allow users to visualize different room interiors in your home Google announced updates to the Google Lens preview which is a successor to the now-dead Google Goggles Google Lens allows users to take a photo and then obtain more information about what is in the photo Over the next few weeks Lens will become available to Google Photos English-language users on Android and iOS who have installed the latest version of the app English-language users on flagship devices will also get the Lens experience within Google Assistant Recently added features in the preview include text selection features and the ability to create contacts and events from a photo It will also be adding better support for recognizing different common animals and plants Subscribe 2017 11:00 AMGoogle Joins the Augmented Reality Party with ARCoreAlong with the developer toolkit Google's launching an experimental browser to let anyone make AR-capable websites.GoogleSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAugmented reality is a thing and everyone in tech seems to agree that it will soon become a very important thing What kinds of products and services do they need What do developers need and want in order to make great AR products Lots of companies in tech smell opportunity (and money) in helping sort those things out That's why Google's launching its first augmented-reality software development kit to help developers start making cool stuff in AR The software works on most recent Android phones and doesn't require any special hardware Google's AR and VR efforts have always focused on working for everyone but it will work on 100 million existing Android phones and most others going forward The ARCore SDK puts three new things in developers' toolkits using the sensors in your phone and the camera to keep virtual objects anchored in place so you can actually place things where they make sense ARCore maps and matches the lighting wherever you are which makes the AR objects look a little more like real things in the room Developers who work with the Unity and Unreal engines can work in ARCore or they can use more common Java and OpenGL tools Along with Google's other content-creator tools like Tilt Brush and the Virtual Positioning Service (which enables world-scale AR and Google has a surprisingly complete AR setup GoogleAs part of a briefing on the new products I helped build a virtual village on a real tabletop in Google's offices and two waving Android mascots onto the table (These were not the most thrilling of demos showed me an adapted version of the Wizard of Oz experience We stuck a lion into the corner of the room who flexed and smiled while the very real lights above cast accurate shadows The last demo showed off ARCore's most exciting potential Chandhok pulled up the home-decorating site Wayfair in an experimental browser designed to let anyone make AR-capable websites which will work with both ARCore on Android and ARKit on iOS Chandhok opened the camera inside the browser Wayfair dropped in a chair that fit perfectly which Chandhok could then walk around and inspect as if seeing the real thing in his living room Still, it's early days for ARCore in particular and augmented reality in general Chandhok points out that many of the early mobile apps were about as complicated as "tap the screen for fart sounds." We're not even in the fart-app era of AR yet Google isn't concerned with exactly what the future of AR looks like; instead it's focused on giving people the tools to tinker with as they work out how to best use AR in existing and future apps Google seems to be a bit late to the party Google's VP of augmented and virtuality ARCore won't even require a software update when it launches officially this winter—you'll just wake up one day and have an AR machine where your smartphone used to be it could even become part of Google's wildly popular Chrome browser But, again, it's still early. In this wild new mixed-reality world, nobody's won anything yet. There’s no shortage of options to choose from but here are the best to buy now.Brad BourqueWired CouponsWayfair Coupons10% Off Wayfair Promo Code with sign-up $50 Off In-Person Tax Prep When You Switch From Your Tax Current Provider Exclusive: Up To 50% Off 6 Boxes With Factor Promo Code It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to business The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking Part of a ARCore’s new Depth API in the works by Nick Statt the company says it’s ready to unveil some of the next-generation upgrades to depth detection and physics it’s achieved which promise to make AR experiences seem much more realistic in the future will soon allow developers to perform what’s known as occlusion which is when an artificial object can be blocked from view by other real-world objects in a scene and you can see it disappear from view when you angle your camera in a way that places a bed or table or some other object in between you’ll be able to access these new features We’ve seen occlusion on mobile phones before. Pokémon Go creator Niantic showed off a video of an occlusion demo featuring a tiny virtual pikachu darting around an urban plaza dashing in between objects and blending seamlessly with the environment not a demo that members of the press could see running on a device and operating in real time Furniture you find on Houzz that are part of the app’s “View in My Room 3D” feature will now support occlusion. Google says the more than 200 million Android devices will also get occlusion for any object that has an AR model in Google Search. I did get to see some demos of the Depth API’s new capabilities that won’t be turning up in commercial apps or services today, but Google says those advancements will be made available to developers in the future after it works more closely with developers and other collaborators to polish some of its approaches. These go beyond occlusion and into more realistic physics and 3D mapping. Google has developed a way for AR objects to interact with the real world more realistically, move through an environment the way a real-world 3D object would, and interact with surfaces like you might expect physical matter would. For instance, in the demo I got to experience, I was able to create colorful shaped blocks out of thin air that could bounce off virtually any surface, even the handlebars of an exercise bike. Google also made a mini-game of sorts showing off the ability for AR objects to move through an environment by going around and over real-world objects and the new Depth API’s surface interaction capabilities. It involved a cooking robot that engages in a food fight with you that takes into account the furniture and walls of the environment, with desserts leaving realistic splatters on surfaces. Google isn’t making these demos available to the public, but the company says it hope app makers will make similar to vastly improved experiences when it is ready to release the updated Depth API to all developers. The company doesn’t have a timeline for when it does expect to release this toolset more broadly, but it’s likely these capabilities will be showing up in apps and AR web experiences some time next year. A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe. The information you submit will be stored and used to communicate with you about your interest in Geo Week. To understand more about how we use and store information, please refer to our privacy policy Geo Week Event Want to develop apps for ARCore? Google has just announced that the Depth API is available in ARCore 1.18 for Android and Unity making it open or use across nearly all Android devices According to the ARCore developer documentation ARCore is using a SLAM process to understand the phone’s location relative to what it is looking at ” ARCore detects visually distinct features in the captured camera image called feature points and uses these points to compute its change in location The visual information is combined with inertial measurements from the device’s IMU to estimate the pose (position and orientation) of the camera relative to the world over time.” At the end of last year, Google shared some details and asked for collaborators to join a ‘preview’ of ARCore Depth API which derives depth via the motion seen by a single camera These depth-from-motion algorithms have been tested by these initial collaborators and several are now available as apps to download An example of occlusion after generating a depth map with an Android device What started as an interesting follow-on to the defunct Google Tango has now been touted by Google as being a step towards creating better and more realistic and responsive augmented reality experiences The key problems that ARCore is attempting to remedy surround the placement of augmented reality objects in real world space augmented reality features can only be placed onto or in front of real-world objects (e.g. but do not have enough information to process things like occlusion – when an AR object should go behind something in frame The key capability now available in the Depth API is the ability for this occlusion to happen seamlessly making objects fell as if they are actually in the space with you The original collaborators included game developers Snapchat and other companies – several examples of their tests and products are featured on the Google Developers blog describing the new ARCore update One particular app that showcased more of the potential of this technology is Lines of Play another product of the Google creative Lab you can set up dominos that will react depending on how they are arranged and what they encounter (e.g. While it may be easy to dismiss this development as one that is only helpful to have Pokemon hide behind your couch there are a few ways in which this could prove to be a significant leap in AR development for non-gaming uses as well Being able to rapidly assess a scene’s depth – without specific depth-sensing sensors – and then place objects in AR within them opens up a world of possibilities What if you could add specific navigation signs within a jobsite via AR What if you could annotate a particular bolt that needs to be removed by a technician in a complex pump assembly What if you could better model line of sight when planning for industrial spaces with AR-placed equipment The fact that there is an open SDK for this opens up a lot of potential for new 3D applications beyond entertainment and gaming I would be on the look out for more interesting apps for a variety of verticals coming out in the next year taking advantage of this new tech To learn more and get started with the ARCore Depth API, the SDK and ARCore developer website provide more details Carla Lauter is the Senior Content Manager for Geo Week News, creating and curating conference content and stories in support of Geo Week Carla spent 10 years on NASA and National Science Foundation-funded projects focusing on Earth science and communication She has worked on web-based outreach and online interactives for NASA Earth Science including products for satellite missions measuring sea level salinity and hyperspectral ocean color.  Get in touch: Please enable Javascript to see this feature ARCore is Google's platform for building and bettering Augmented Reality (AR) experiences bringing information and content to life at the exact moment it's useful It can trigger experiences from real-world images (like bringing a movie poster to life) or allow multiple users to interact with the same AR experience (great for education Head to the Creative Guidelines center for further information to help you craft your work across other YouTube and Google formats – presented by Think with Google May 11, 2023 – Google has this week introduced new Geospatial capabilities to its ARCore platform for building augmented reality (AR) experiences ARCore is available on 1.4 billion Android devices and select features are also available on compatible iOS devices making it the largest cross-device augmented reality platform which leverages the Google Maps platform and helps developers build AR experiences that are more immersive The new Geospatial capabilities are designed to help developers and creators build even better world-scale immersive experiences and transform building geometry around a user The Streetscape Geometry API allows developers to build experiences that interact with real world geometry or just placing a virtual asset on a building by providing a 3D mesh within a 100m radius of the user’s mobile device location Streetscape Geometry API is available on Android and iOS which allow developers to place stable geometry at exact locations using latitude using only longitude and latitude coordinates with the altitude being calculated automatically the company has introduced Rooftop anchors a new type of anchor that lets creators and developers anchor digital content securely to building rooftops respecting the building geometry and the height of buildings which combines a mobile device’s real time depth measurement with Streetscape Geometry data to improve depth measurements using building and terrain data providing depth for up to 65m developers can build increasingly realistic geospatial experiences in the real world Rooftop Anchors are available on Android and iOS The Scene Semantics API uses AI to provide a class label to every pixel in an outdoor scene allowing for the creation of custom AR experiences based on the features in an area around a user The Scene Semantics API can be used to enable different experiences in an app specific scene components can be identified such as roads and sidewalks to help guide a user through the city people and vehicles to render realistic occlusions the sky to create a sunset at any time of the day and buildings to modify their appearance and anchor virtual objects The Scene Semantics API is available on Android To help get developers and creators started, Google has released ‘Mega Golf,’ an open source demo that helps users experience the new APIs in action. In Mega Golf, players use buildings in their city to bounce off and propel a golf ball towards a hole while avoiding 3D virtual obstacles. The open source demo is available on GitHub In addition to all of the new ARCore capabilities noted above, Google has also launched its new Geospatial Creator tool for building world-scale augmented reality experiences With the new ARCore features improvements and the new Geospatial Creator in Adobe Aero and Unity, Google is aiming to make it easier for developers and creators to build realistic augmented reality experiences. For more information, click here Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix With a background in research and report writing he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years Google launches Geospatial Creator for building world-scale augmented reality experiences 3D Cloud by Marxent raises $7.5M in Series D funding for its 3D product experience creation platform is the combination of real and virtual images in realtime Given the application and technology is available to you you could superimpose a giant squid into your refrigerator such as IKEA’s app allowing you to view their furniture in your home before purchase The viewing of AR is typically done via a device While augmented reality glasses are being developed by different companies at rapid rates there are still no large contenders on the mass-consumer front we currently rely largely on handheld devices While augmented reality may sounds amazingly Pretend you have a smartphone—any smartphone pretend you have apps on your smartphone (I know Ask yourself a question: who made the apps aside from the mandatory functional apps hardwired to your phone every app you download likely has a different company behind the creation you’ve even downloaded an app from an independent programer ARCore and ARKit are the ways independent programers and companies can create augmented reality for your smartphone They are not “the apps,” but they are how one would “create the apps.” if you’re still insistent on sticking that giant squid into your refrigerator it’ll likely be a function created in something similar to ARKit or ARCore we finally have a full-on duel between two tech giants in the AR consumer space there are countless businesses out there developing AR technology directly challenge each other in nearly identical spaces within the augmented reality field Image Credit: All3DP While it may look like these lists favor ARCore simply due to the length and added explanations You didn’t need to learn the same terms twice aside from the minute ones of how a particular interface works or between Android Studio and SceneKit then there’s really only two major comparisons worth mentioning: it does not offer the same capabilities as the ARKit came forward to boast about the new technology being applied to the future iPhone launch in the fall and you don’t track the status of the technology on a daily basis like a super-obsessed fan you may have missed or overlooked this announcement It was hardly at the top of anyone’s “leaked new iPhone 8 feature” lists even as iPhone announces the new model 8 launching on September 12 of this year you have to search for the tie-in to ARKit and operating system before you find references to the 3D sensing camera and holographic capabilities There are definite AR advancements with the new iPhone pertaining to recent benefits from launching ARKit months earlier (allowing for people to start creating content) They’re just not the phone’s main selling points yet as consumers have yet to find AR a useful tool when Google announces ARCore within hours (at most days) of Apple releasing the iPhone 8’s launch date we can see this AR space is one both companies are banking a lot on Apple used ARKit to virtually throw a glove down and challenge the “android nation” to a duel While we’ll never know for certain what Apple’s marketing strategy for the new iPhone may have looked like Google has effectively taken the “we’re the first ones with holograms and AR” off the list of options they will have to consistently side-step each other while presenting bigger and better options This is the type of competition that makes consumers happy and products better hang onto your leiderhosen and get ready for a full-on consumer-based battle Image Credit: WikiMedia The Most Comprehensive IoT Newsletter for Enterprises Showcasing the highest-quality content, resources, news, and insights from the world of the Internet of Things. Subscribe to remain informed and up-to-date. Our team of experts will help you find the perfect solution for your needs! Explore our vetted selection of IoT solutions organized to help you easily find, evaluate, and adopt solutions that deliver business value. .__m__-Rlbfm{--grid-gutter:calc(1rem * var(--mantine-scale));}.__m__-R3dlbfm{--col-flex-grow:auto;--col-flex-basis:50%;--col-max-width:50%;}CONTENT IoT For All is creating resources to enable companies of all sizes to leverage IoT IoT For All is the best place to keep up with what's going on in IoT @media(min-width: 64em){.__m__-Rmlrfm{padding-left:calc(2.6875rem * var(--mantine-scale));}}CONTENT Mobile World Congress kicks off this weekend, and to celebrate, Google is launching version 1.0 of its "ARCore" Augmented Reality framework ARCore allows normal smartphones to run augmented reality apps ARCore apps will either overlay 3D objects on top of the phone's camera feed or allow you to use the phone as a camera in a 3D world moving your viewpoint around as you move the phone Google is greatly expanding the compatible devices for ARCore Since ARCore requires calibration and a custom setup per device model the minimum requirements aren't based on an Android version but are instead limited to specific models While the preview only supported the Google Pixels and Samsung Galaxy S8 today ARCore 1.0 is coming to a wide selection of flagship Android phones Google's blog post lists the following phones as compatible: "Google’s Pixel S7 and S7 edge; LGE’s V30 and V30+ (Android O only); ASUS’s Zenfone AR; and OnePlus’s OnePlus 5." All together that's about 100 million devices that can run augmented reality apps and Vivo" will bring ARCore to their upcoming smartphone releases Another interesting tidbit is that Google is also launching ARCore in China since Google does almost no business in China—there's no Google apps Google will get around its distribution problems by partnering with OEMs like Huawei allowing even non-Google Play devices to use ARCore apps Version 1.0 also means developers can now publish ARCore apps in the Play Store. Snap Inc is a big early booster for ARCore, having already built a "Snapchat experience" on the framework that transports people to Camp Nou stadium, the home of FC Barcelona. There is also Google's AR Stickers app which allows you to place Star Wars (and other) characters into the real world Whether it’s trying on virtual lipstick or trying out products in the space around you augmented reality (AR) continues to blend the physical and digital worlds navigate and experience the world together AR can be used as an immersive way to bring fans and supporters closer to their content in new ways With Google’s newly released ARCore Geospatial API which opens up more than 15 years of our understanding of the world through Google Maps these immersive experiences can now be deployed at world-scale in more than 100 countries Thanks to our knowledge from building Google Maps and learning about building geometry content creators can turn cities into live canvases Throughout this year, Gorillaz, the world’s biggest virtual band, and leading real-time animation specialists Nexus Studios used our ARCore Geospatial API to reimagine what’s possible bringing the world of Gorillaz to life like never before playing in the midst of two of the world’s most iconic skylines The first-of-their kind immersive performances of the band’s new track “Skinny Ape” will kick off December 17 in New York City’s Times Square at 2:30 PM ET with the band taking over London’s Piccadilly Circus at 2:00 PM GMT on December 18 If you can’t make it in person, you can still download the app and interact with the AR experience in New York, London and elsewhere as it will be available through June 2023. As a bonus, Android users will soon receive exclusive imagery of the AR experience in the “Gorillaz Presents” app so they can relive the action anywhere Since buying their first Matterport device in 2015 Tosolini Productions has used them to explore the possibilities of virtual tours beyond residential real estate That means taking the Matterport OBJ and combining them with new technologies–what Tosolini calls “mashups”–to see how far those OBJ files can stretch and what creative ends they can be used for Founder Paolo Tosolini sent me a handful of these experiments (complete with videos) about a year ago, all of which you can view here He’s starting the year another bunch that sees Tosolini Productions mashing up Matterport files with Unity and marquee AR and VR tech from giants like Microsoft and Google Check out the videos below to see what’s possible when you’re willing to get creative: This is an augmented reality illusion leveraging ARCore and a Matterport model ARCore is Google’s mobile platform for augmented reality content focused on attaching virtual objects to real world spaces we utilize ARCore’s newly released Augmented Images capability and Unity 3D to track a portal setup to an image on a laptop screen in this case) is used to activate and keep the model aligned as the phone moves freely within the space The portal’s selective rendering helps create a sense of depth forming the illusion of a box that recedes into the computer screen Come explore this award winning Matterport scan of the Schooner Zodiac Sailing Vessel in VR It can be challenging to provide users with both inside and outside views of a 3D scan so we have envisioned a few slicer effects to help Whether it’s by splitting into chunks or creating a cross-section with shaders come see how VR can transform a static model into a dynamic experience Original 3D virtual tour: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=ffvGojLDiyv This model has won the 2018 Matty Award as the best transportation space 3D scanned using Matterport technology What if the screens around you were portals into another space Follow us in this exploration of ten real-world spaces in VR from Miramare Castle in Italy to the historic 1924 Schooner Zodiac vessel has been scanned using Matterport technology and connected with portals in Unity 3D we re-imagine the classic card as an augmented reality cube Envision a new way to communicate your business with impact and memorability The Unity 3D prototype runs on modern Android phones with augmented elements tracking to a physical Merge Cube object (https://shop.mergevr.com/) This AR portal effect has been created entirely on an iPad device without writing any code We used the Torch AR app to position the original Matterport 3D model previously uploaded onto SketchFab We then resized it close to real scale and walked inside Learn how to create an Augmented Reality experience using a Matterport 3D dollhouse model attached to a tracker (e.g This tutorial will walk you through the steps of importing a Matterport OBJ model into Unity 3D and configuring Vuforia to create a simple AR app for Android Google's ARCore literally loads to an Android device with the name "Tango Core" and requires a Tango-compatible device to work This is only one part of a grand scheme that is Google's future in augmented reality Whether Google planned this before Apple's ARKit was revealed is irrelevant – because begun If we have a peek at Google's AR Experiments collection at first it seems like ARCore is the only software kit used by each chosen developer But several examples on this list use Tango instead – and it's mentioned as such in their descriptions What might be unclear to developers and consumers is how this affects Tango in the future Users that used Tango development software in the past should switch to this newest build – essentially Tango's replacement Tango phones (the two that exist today) will be able to use ARCore-made apps in the future but they won't be any more skillful at AR than a non-Tango phone Only the select few apps that use Tango's full hardware will have the above-and-beyond tracking that Tango provides just what most Android smartphones have at their back and light estimation – all of which are available with a wide variety of Android device ARCore will run on Android 7.0 Nougat and newer operating system versions ARCore will obviously require that the device will need a camera of some sort and some functionality will require certain sensors – like a light sensor for light estimation Otherwise the road is open from here on out as soon as the final version of ARCore is ready for action Google hopes to bring the final version of ARCore to the public before year's end Google's suggested that 100 million devices will be able to use ARCore The last time we heard from Google about the total number of active Android devices they suggested the number was over 2-billion If we make this very basic estimation with these two numbers that's over 270-million devices running Nougat or higher Meanwhile Apple's ARKit is set to run on 195-million devices according to a Mapbox-posted estimation by Ceci Alvarez Pour one out for Tango – the battle between ARKit and ARCore is officially on eBay unveiled a clever solution using Augmented Reality (AR) that enables millions of sellers to quickly select the best USPS flat rate box for items they need to ship which enables high-quality AR experiences on Android eBay is taking advantage of motion tracking and environmental understanding to place a real-world item inside virtual shipping boxes of various sizes place the virtual box over their sold item and move the box around the item to see a complete view of the product inside the box This allows sellers to virtually see if an item fits inside any USPS Flat Rate shipping box before they choose the physical box or try to package the item this new AR technology will ensure perfect packaging for items sellers need to ship the feature will help with accurate sizing for sold merchandise save time that would be wasted scouring boxes at the local post office and provide real-time calculation of shipping costs “By coupling Google’s ARCore platform with premiere AR technology built at eBay we are continuing to make the selling experience more seamless,” says James Meeks “This technology is just one example of the types of innovation we’re working on to transform eBay It demonstrates our continual innovation on behalf our sellers to help them save time and remove barriers.” Scroll down to the AR feature to help you pick a shipping box that fits An early iteration of this AR feature came from employees during eBay Hack Week an annual company-wide competition challenging our technologists to innovate and reimagine the e-commerce experience the mobile team had an idea to display boxes around items to indicate that they’ve been shipped The two teams came together to share knowledge about their projects and then the mobile team developed the technology and partnered with Google to bring it to life This new feature is now live on Android ARCore-enabled devices. Download eBay’s Android app from the Google Play store here Sign up for News Alerts to receive occasional emails about eBay corporate announcements Our RSS feed includes all eBay news articles published on this website click on the button below and copy the URL into an RSS reader Google's AR reboot brings most of that functionality to regular old Android phones through the magic of software If you're drawing mental comparisons to Apple's ARKit We're not just working off the blog post here as I was lucky enough to have this project explained to me by some of the Googlers in charge of it Google is again doing a bit of internal product competition with Tango and ARCore Google is best thought of as a group of individual product divisions rather than a unified company and it's the teams behind these products that tell the biggest story about where these two projects are headed Project Tango was cooked up by Google's ATAP group a small skunkworks group that doesn't have a ton of resources ARCore is a collaboration between the Android Team and the VR group While Tango answered the question of "can we do AR on a smartphone," ARCore is about bringing some of that functionality to as many devices as possible Tango was limited to a mere two phones with special hardware Google says it is eventually targeting "hundreds of millions" of Android handsets using nothing other than the existing camera and accelerometers we'd imagine there will eventually be a similar list in the CDD for ARCore While we don't yet know the hardware requirements there's no reason for the ARCore hardware requirements to be as stringent as Daydream VR any frame drop or stutter can make the user feel physically ill To combat "VR Sickness," Daydream has a load of requirements designed to minimize the "motion to photon" latency like banning all LCD-equipped phones from participating in the program because you're just looking at a phone in your hand and many of these tough VR requirements shouldn't apply there are just two supported ARCore devices: the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S8 Google's blog post says it's "working with manufacturers like Samsung and others." When ARCore hits version 1.0 (I'm told that will be "this winter") more than 100 million users should have access to ARCore apps Google isn't just aiming ARCore at Android devices it's also releasing "prototype browsers for Web developers" that support the SDK and the company says "these custom browsers allow developers to create AR-enhanced websites and run them on both Android/ARCore and iOS/ARKit." Google's blog post runs down the SDK's capabilities: Motion tracking and environmental understanding were both things Tango could do—you'll basically be able to slap an item on a surface and walk around it The built-in "light estimation" capabilities are new ARCore will try to apply the real life lighting to the virtual object which should help virtual objects blend in more The key difference between ARCore and a sensor-loaded Tango device is that you're not getting depth sensing. Tango could actually see the world in 3D by sending out a blast of IR light and measuring the return time using a time-of-flight camera. Depth sensing in Tango led to my favorite Tango app: Matterport Scenes You could wave a Tango phone around a room or object and quickly get a (low-resolution) 3D the vast majority of Tango apps just wanted to use the "place stuff on a flat surface" feature which doesn't need the depth sensor and will work just fine on ARCore ARCore will also have the benefit of what's essentially a "multiplayer mode," where data can be synced across devices thanks to the VR Group's "VPS" (Visual Positioning System) This is narrowing your location down with GPS and then having the phone's AR capabilities recognize where you are in a room a kind of "indoor GPS." ARCore users in the same room can then share items in an environment and one person's object manipulations could be seen by the other device So with a bigger and more accomplished team tackling AR The press release says ARCore is "built on" work done with Tango the huge bezels and poor battery life still ask users to sacrifice a lot Both phones seemed like they were heavily delayed taking more than eight months from announcement to ship date Both were also pretty expensive: the Phab 2 Pro was $500 for a mid-range device and the Asus Zenfone AR charged $599 for year-old hardware That's pretty bad for an ecosystem with a whopping three devices between the Phab 2 In the run-up to ARCore's launch, I was lucky enough to have the project explained to me by some of the Googlers in charge of it. Running the Ars Interview Gauntlet was Clay Bavor, VP of the VR Team (which Google is apparently calling the "Augmented and Virtuality" division), Android engineering head Dave Burke (fresh off the Android 8.0 Oreo launch) director of product for "Google AR." We mostly covered the basics but Bavor's VR Group swallowed Tango when it was formed He's definitely the one to ask about the project's future "We think there are a lot of benefits to scale that we're going to get with ARCore I think there are going to be far more users on ARCore We expect sensing capabilities like those that are in Tango phones today we expect in time those will be in a lot more phones across the Android ecosystem So our focus right now is really on scale on ARCore it's helped us push the envelope on what's possible in the mobile app but the focus is really shifting to ARCore and pulling any functionality like that sensing sort of exposing it in the context of AR Core as opposed to a separate thing." To read between the lines a bit, that almost reads like a eulogy. Tango "helped us learn a lot," but now the focus is "shifting to ARCore," and Google hopes Tango's unique features like a depth sensor will come to ARCore phones in the future. My condolences to anyone that bought the newest Tango phone, the Asus Zenfone AR the Tango and ARCore provide similar functionality it's really easy to get it up and running on ARCore." That didn't stop us from asking about the future Ars: What's the delivery mechanism for ARCore Is it going to live in Play Services and have a Play Store section for AR apps Bavor: The developer preview will be an APK that developers can side load and link against for their own applications Our goal in how we roll it out is to make it independent of any OS update and to make it possible to roll out without reliance on carriers and so on There are a couple ways we're considering doing that I think we haven't converged on a specific plan but the goal is to make it possible to seamlessly roll this out to again over a hundred million phones that we expect to support by launch Daydream apps get mixed in with everything else in the Play Store and VR apps can also be accessed as a separate category through the in-headset VR Play Store I'd imagine ARCore will take a similar path or Will there be any Google apps based on ARCore Indoor positioning with Maps or anything else "yes." Google began life as a software and services company we've invested hugely in computing and Android and Chrome but one of the reasons we're making such a significant investment in AR—starting with the device level capability with ARCore—is that we think the next phase of computing is going to be far more natural and enable us to interact with things more naturally So we're looking at how AR capability can be understanding the environment and richer sensing and how that could affect applications like search or Google Lens Using vision and other stuff to understand what's around you and help you understand and take action on what's in front of you For Mapping, instead of trying to figure out where your blue dot is, it'd be better if Maps could just tell you, "go over there." And there's some other things we're pretty excited about. Some that we've talked about already, for example, Expeditions so a whole class could have a scale model of the Colosseum They set it in the classroom and walk around it And so you'll see other things from us in both user-facing applications but also like I talked about with Blocks as a tool for creating 3D content VPS (Google's inside-out tracking and location system) is more of an enabling service and we really think of this as kind of a constellation of tools and services to make it possible for developers to build great stuff in AR and to make it more useful for users Some of the manufacturers you mentioned you're working with ship phones with two cameras on the back That seems like something that would be useful for 3D sensing We'll just say we're working with many of the top Android OEMs there's been a huge amount of interest in this We think that sensing is going to be an important future capability of phones and there will be several ways of doing depth sensing we intend to make flexible so that regardless of the specific flavor of depth sensor this model is pretty familiar to us in the sense that we create some API's and have a vehicle for it to work across existing versions or previous versions of Android and that future versions of Android will add more capabilities so you can do more with the newer devices So things like dual camera and synchronization of the dual camera are things that we'll start adding more in time There's a bunch of other things we can do to keep AR more performant I think the key thing here with ARCore is first it establishes a broad base that we can get and then keep evolving the platform as we go forward to make it better Given he oversees the team on these initiatives It's what we've been dreaming of with Tango for years and investing in for years with Tango Our goal here is to make AR mainstream and to light it up across the Android ecosystem and it's just super exciting to have that scale but even more so to think about all the neat things that developers are going to create with the scale of Android and flexibility of Android We're excited about some of the things we're working on Bird uses the ARCore Geospatial API to enable a scooter parking app Google has launched the ARCore Geospatial API in ARCore software development kits (SDKs) for Android and iOS across all compatible ARCore-enabled devices The application programming interface (API) is available at no cost to download and opens up nearly 15 years of Google Maps data to help developers build more useful and immersive augmented reality (AR) experiences “The Geospatial API provides access to global localization — the same technology that has been powering Live View in Google Maps since 2019, providing people with helpful AR-powered arrows and turn-by-turn directions,” explains a Google blog “Based on the Visual Positioning Service (VPS) with tens of billions of images in Street View developers can now anchor content by latitude longitude and altitude in more than 87 countries without being there or having to scan the physical space discovering and interacting with AR is faster and more accurate as images from the scanned environment are instantaneously matched against our model of the world,” the blog states “This model is built using advanced machine-learning techniques which extract trillions of 3D points from Street View images that are then used to compute a device’s position and orientation in less than a second users can be anywhere Street View is available their device understands exactly where it is which way it is pointed and where the AR content should appear who are exploring and building applications in areas such as education Lime and WeMo are using the API to remove friction from parking e-scooters and e-bikes adding pinpoint accuracy so that riders know exactly when their vehicle is in a valid parking spot subscribe to GPS World to receive more articles just like it The latest version of ARCore, Google's augmented reality developer platform for Android phones, now includes a depth API The API was released as a preview back in December but now it's live for everyone in ARCore 1.18 ARCore would map out walls and floors and scale AR objects accordingly but the Depth API enables things like occlusion—letting AR actors appear to be behind objects in the real world The other big feature enabled by depth sensing is the ability to simulate physics like the ability to toss a virtual object down the real-life stairs and have it bounce around realistically ARCore can use some of this extra camera hardware to help with 3D sensing While the Depth API can run in a single-camera mode that uses motion to determine depth values it can also pull in data from a phone's time-of-flight sensor to improve the depth quality Samsung was one of the companies that was called out as specifically supporting this in the Note10+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra Note that both of these are the highest-end skus for these devices Tons of phones have multiple cameras like wide-angle and telephoto a good idea would be a look across the aisle to ARKit A big depth feature in ARKit that doesn't seem to be mentioned in Google's blog post is "people occlusion," or the ability for moving objects to hide virtual objects Google's demos only show stationary objects hiding virtual objects The Depth API is available in Android and Unity SDKs. For users, you'll need an ARCore-compatible phone. Google maintains a big list here STB has expanded to even more landmarks around the city with interactive AR experiences to kick off the 2024 travel season AR makes it easier for travelers to discover new sights and provides a richer understanding of Singapore through immersive storytelling AR and similar technologies have become particularly popular in the travel industry “STB actively looks for possible tourism use cases in emerging technologies like Extended Reality (XR),” says Simon Ang “We’ll always be open to piloting new technologies to create novel experiences for visitors and are excited to be working with Google to pioneer this movement.” guides travelers through six stops in the popular tourism precincts of Singapore’s Civic District and Chinatown both tourists and residents alike can explore and learn more about these areas travelers can visit Singapore’s first-ever post office at what is now the Fullerton Hotel — and even send a virtual postcard to their friends or family they can marvel at a life-sized bumboat brought to life in AR and learn about the significance of the Singapore River for the city and its people Merli also uncovers hidden spots like the Peranakan Tile Gallery a local Chinatown business that sells tiles salvaged from demolished shophouses the interactive AR map of the popular food spot offers recommendations for must-try hawker dishes helping first-time visitors visually navigate the vast range of food options Travelers can visit Singapore’s first-ever post office at what is now the Fullerton Hotel - and even send a virtual postcard to their friends or family Visitors can witness history come to life in augmented reality at A Great Emporium a sculptural ensemble of early-day workers We look forward to working with more developers and brands around the world to use Google’s AR tools to create helpful AR experiences and make the world their canvas Disclaimer: Available on compatible ARCore-enabled Android and iOS devices that support Geospatial API Disclaimer: Available in areas covered by Google Street View Google announced on Friday that it would cease support for its Tango computer vision and augmented reality initiative on March 1, 2018. The company urges Tango developers to migrate to the more common ARCore framework that does not need specialized hardware and thus can be used with mainstream smartphones ASUS and Lenovo have released Google Tango-supporting smartphones for consumers ARCore does not need specialized hardware to support a significant part of the Tango functionality (at least when it comes to consumer applications) and promises to work on normal reasonably powerful Android-based smartphones for AR software developers and for Google it makes sense to focus on ARCore just because it promises to be available to hundreds of millions of users worldwide its elements are going to be used here and there Sources: Google (via AndroidPolice)