Earlier this year at WWDC, Apple released its RoomPlan API for developers to tap into AR features on iOS devices. Now, we’re seeing an incredible use of the technology thanks to a new demo video released by the Canadian e-commerce brand Shopify.
In the short video below, you’ll watch all the furniture in a cluttered room magically disappear. Shopify is using Apple’s AR API to “reset” a room, essentially clearing it out so potential shoppers can see what a new bed, TV, or desk would look like in their space.
IKEA has offered something similar for several years but uses older, outdated technology. Thanks to a LiDAR-equipped iPhone, the results are impressive in this latest example.
Lots of interest in this “reset button” for your room we built @Shopify that uses @apple’s new #RoomPlan API. Here’s how we built it… 👇 🧵1/12 pic.twitter.com/YdNP1vebVW
— Russ Maschmeyer (@StrangeNative) July 13, 2022
The demonstration comes courtesy of Russ Maschmeyer, an AR/VR developer with Shopify, who published several tweets showcasing their new AR technology that uses Apple’s AR APIs. As you can see above, the user scans the entire room, then hits reset and quickly deletes everything out of the room.
According to Maschmeyer, “AR makes it easy to try new couches, but the couch already in your space can get in the way… What if every room had a reset button? Space Erase models spaces in high-fidelity—capturing room-defining objects, their size, position, and orientation.”
The software makes a digital copy of the room, removes all the content, and gives shoppers a fresh canvas to work with. By itself, Apple’s AR technology isn’t offered as a stand-alone app. Instead, RoomPlan is an API that developers can access and integrate into existing or new apps, similar to what Shopify is doing here.
Either way, this is pretty impressive, and it leaves me waiting to see what Apple and Shopify have in store next.
via The Verge
