If you’ve run out of at-home family activities, why not bring the kids to Jurassic Park?
Well, a virtual edition, at least. Google Search’s most recent update has added life-sized dinosaurs to their augmented reality (AR) zoo. Families can now use their phone cameras to project the towering reptiles in their dining rooms and backyards, by searching “dinosaur” in the Google app and tapping the “view in 3D” option.
Parents are already making great use of the app, which so far has 10 dinosaurs on stand-by for a personal visit, to amuse their kids.
Houston-based mom Meredith Akers shared photos of her two children, excited to see the AR creatures “invade” their backyard and unleash their inner Chris Pratt.
Some have enjoyed projecting their new jumbo-sized friends onto unlikely locations, such as by windows or on street corners.
Google partnered with the designers behind “Jurassic World” and its tie-in game for the terrifying technological marvels.
“Not only did we draw research from various forms of literature, our artists also worked with paleontologists and the ‘Jurassic World’ team to make the assets as accurate and realistic as possible,” designer Camilo Sanin said in a Google blog about the update. “Even the smallest of details, such as irregularities of skin colour and patterns, are important.”
That attention to detail will pay off, as many families will be making plenty of use of Google’s latest offerings: Since the pandemic started, 9 to 5 Google reports that its AR animals, especially tigers, have surged in popularity because parents are looking for boredom busters.
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