With its innovative Flyover feature for Apple Maps, Apple gave users an eye-popping way of exploring real life places in three dimensions.
Now it’s reportedly leant its AR expertise to a new iOS app for the new Statue of Liberty Museum. For those visiting the iconic location, the app provides a location-based audio tour. For those elsewhere, it provides a way of checking out an AR recreation of Lady Liberty from the comfort of their couch.
According to designer Diane von Furstenberg, the collaboration came about after a meeting with Tim Cook. This took place after von Furstenberg worked working on an HBO documentary on the Statue of Liberty. It’s not known exactly what capacity Apple was involved — and, for that matter, whether Cook (who is not a New Yorker) is involved with the upcoming documentary.
The app uses uses ARKit to create a 3D representation of the statue. The Statue of Liberty model has more than 16 million polygons. Users can also skip through the years to see changes in the oxidation on the statue’s copper. “Place the model in front of you, pinch and zoom in to scale, and marvel at its size,” the app’s description notes.
And that’s not all…
In addition, there’s the chance to do an historic time lapse 180 degree experience. This allows users to, “Watch Manhattan’s skyline evolve over the past 200 years … from the view point of Lady Liberty’s crown.”
For those who visit the Statue of Liberty, the app also features an audio tour section, narrated by von Furstenberg. There are audio links to 15 points of interest around Statue of Liberty’s Liberty island, and 20 in the museum. There are also separate tours targeted at kids and adults. The app uses Apple’s MapKit to enable indoor mapping which, in turn, triggers the app’s audio.
You can download the Statue of Liberty app here.
Via: Cnet
