Pokemon GO Developer Niantic Reveals Codename: Niantic Occlusion
- Pokemon GO developer Niantic revealed its Real World AR platform showcasing its latest developments in augmented reality technology.
- The new technology demoed the use of improved AR technology using Pokemon characters Eevee and Pikachu.
- The technology makes use of machine learning to track objects in a 3D environment in new and unique ways.
Pokemon Go Developer Niantic showed off its latest project ‘Codename: Niantic Occlusion’ which implements machine learning to track objects in a 3D environment. One of the biggest issues with the current AR technology is that it does not feel believable and do not interact with other 3D objects. The Pokemon Go developers demonstrated how the new Occlusion project could allow AR elements to weave in between pedestrians and even physical objects.
The demo does suffer from some hiccups, but the potential of the new technology is quite impressive. The demo video released by Niantic showcases characters Eevee and Pikachu from the Pokemon universe. The company revealed that the technology involves the use of contextual computer vision where AR elements are able to and interact with real-world elements in believable ways.
The developers also opened up the Real-World platform for third-party developers to help other studios develop similar projects that make use of augmented reality like never before. Developers who want to try their hands at developing AR apps and games using Niantic’s technology can do so by signing up for access. The technology is far from polished, and there is a lot of work that needs to go in to make the AR believable. It is likely that the developers will implement the new technology in Pokemon GO sometime in the future.
Image Courtesy of Niantic labs
Niantic revealed that low-latency AR techniques are being worked on by the developers to offer more multiplayer gaming experiences using the Real World platform. The more devices that connect to the platform, the more perspectives can be added to create high-quality AR games. It is likely that the developers will come up with more AR games after its massive success with Pokemon GO.
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