The launch of Apple’s ARKit has opened up several new possibilities when it comes to creating or improving augmented reality (AR) applications. Groove Jones has been working with Locus Labs and American Airlines to create an AR app for navigation.
American Airlines are one of the biggest airlines in the USA, offering flights to thousands of people every day. As such, airports can be large, crowded and confusing, particularly if you’re never visited that location before. The ARKit-powered American Airlines app provides a solution, by offering an AR overlay that can point the way to important places such as the check-in desk, security checkpoint, or even provide recommendation for food and drink and guide the user to those areas.
Gatwick Airport in the UK has been testing a similar system, which uses signals from navigation beacons that can be received by smartphones to provide the necessary location services. It is not completely clear if the AA app requires similar signals, but the depth-sensing and real-time tracking abilities of ARKit suggests it might not need them, just a map to be uploaded to the app. This would save time and money for airports.
On-screen alerts can also be displayed, with information such as wait times captured using Internet of Things (IoT) technology, or gathered from American Airlines themselves.
Groove Jones have released two videos about the app. One of which acts as a trailer displaying how the app would function, the other is a hands-on test captured while the est team were travelling. You can view the two videos below.
VRFocus will continue to bring you news on new developments involving ARKit.