A new Apple demonstration video surfaced Thursday, this one showing off the powerful marquee feature of the new iPad Pro, the LiDAR Scanner.
Words do not explain this augmented reality tool quite like seeing it being demoed by various developers.
The three-minute video – which appears to have been produced for an expected Apple keynote event that never happen and was posted on Instagram late Wednesday night – shows the scanner’s use in gaming, medical and interior design scenarios.
Irene Walsh, Chief Design Officer at 3D4Medical, the developers of the iPad app Complete Anatomy, is quoted in the video as saying LiDAR together with its software “has the potential to transform the medical community of the future.”
The LiDAR scanner makes an accurate 3D map of its location. It scans a laser over the entire area, measuring the distances to objects by seeing how long it takes light to reach an object and reflect back.
Apple’s version of this Time of Flight sensor has a range of 16 feet. It works indoors and outside and creates maps nearly instantly.
Mark Laprairie, the creator of the game Hot Lava, appears to use the new technology in his living room to show how it could change the gaming experience.
“It scans the room and paints a complete picture of your environment and brings it into the virtual world,” Laprairie says in the video. “Everything in your world is now an obstacle. You can create these truly engaging experiences. You don’t have to worry about the technology. Your imagination is now the limiting factor.”
Customers can order the new iPad Pro today form the Apple Online Store with a starting price of $799.
