Apple has plans to integrate augmented reality (AR) into its iPhone camera app soon. With this AR tech, the users will be able to capture real-world objects in 3D format and get the iPhone camera software to recognise them based on the pre-defined database of 3D objects installed on the phone.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Business Insider reports that the AR tech initiative involves teams from several acquired startups while Apple works on developing its digital glasses with augmented reality built into it.
The iPhone maker has recently hired John Border, an expert in head-mounted displays, camera systems and sensors to take the project forward.
The AR integration into the camera app enables users to recognise and manipulate people's faces using the facial recognition technology borrowed from the Photos app in the latest version of iOS. The company had recently acquired FaceShift to integrate this technology into iOS way back in 2015.
Once the AR features are integrated into the iPhone camera app, Apple will roll out the technology in the form of an SDK for app developers, who will then pave the way for the creation of Apple smart glasses that can pair with an iPhone to display contextual information in the real world.
However, the timeline for creating such a device would stretch back as far as 2018 or later, according to Bloomberg.
Get a glimpse of the new AR tech in action:
