Google AR app update allows users to see dinosaurs, ancient sea creatures and artists' masterpiece in their home

The update comes to Google's Arts and Culture application, which is available on both iPhones and Android devices

(Credit: Google)

Google’s Arts and Culture application now lets you view prehistoric creatures and great artworks in augmented reality.

The new additions to the app are divided into four subsections: animals, space, history, and art. The app is available on both iPhones and Android phones.

In a blog post, the search giant promoted a number of ancient beings including the cambropachycope, a ancient crustacean whose head was covered in eyes.

Other animals include the duck-billed Amurosaurus dinosaur and the opabinia, a shrimp-like creature that lived 500 million years ago and had five eyes.

For space fans, Google has rendered the command module from Apollo 11 as well as Neil Armstrong’s A-7L spacesuit.

There is also a great array of artworks from famous artists including Da Vinci, Monet, and Japanese artist Hokusai.

As well as specific objects, Google has also rendered certain areas in augmented reality, such as the Nine-Dome Mosque in Bangladesh or the Gereza Fort in Tanzania.

These appear as small models that users can move around, expand, and retract – similar to computer design of a video game level.

Historical items include figures from the Aztec empire, a golden ceremonial hat from Berlin, dated around 1000BC, and cult objects from the Old Temple at Chavín, Peru.

Once a user has placed any rendered structure in their home, they can take photos and videos of the objects to compare them with items in their home or share them on social media.

Google’s Art and Culture app has previously been used to compare how similar users look to famous paintings. This includes comparing a photo of President Donald Trump to John Peers’ clown painting.

Users’ own photos can become masterpieces as well, as the app also has a feature called “Art Transfer” which takes your photo and uses artificial intelligence to give it the style of a famous artwork.

This is not the only venture into augmented reality Google is taking. The company recently purchased smart-glasses company North, so it could “invest in [its] hardware efforts and ambient computing future.”

North’s glasses were able to pair with users’ smartphones via Bluetooth and show text messages, phone calls, and notifications in the wearers’ field of view.

It is possible that Google will use the smart-glasses technology to improve and re-release its since discontinued wearable, Google Glass.