Google has launched a new ‘experiment’ app called Sodar, which gives users an augmented reality (AR) view of their surroundings, outlining a 2-metre radius around them.
It is intended to help users maintain a proper social distance in the real world as COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease.
“This experiment uses WebXR to visualise 2m social distancing guidelines in your environment,” Google said.
Currently, Sodar is only available on Android devices. In addition, it is note yet accessible on the Google Play Store.
To download it, users must visit sodar.withgoogle.com using the Chrome browser. Users can also scan the QR code on the webpage with their phone camera, this will take them to the site on their device.
This is Google’s latest effort to use tech to contain COVID-19. Google has worked alongside Apple to develop COVID-19 tracing capabilities, and is making mobility data publicly available to assist health authorities.
