Apple's iOS 11 update is just weeks away, and as the launch date approaches, developers have been experimenting with ARKit, the set of augmented reality tools Apple built into the operating system.
We already know ARKit will work with a huge range of apps, from games to utilities to shopping, and the latest demos below give us an even better picture of what our iPhones and iPads will be capable of once ARKit-based apps are available to the public.
In the first video, a company named Kabaq demonstrates virtual food on a plate, which is how future food ordering apps might take advantage of ARKit. Using Apple's feature, restaurants will be able to give customers a 3D look at what different dishes look like.
In a second video, ARKit is used for painting and sculpting, with developer Fabin Rasheed demoing a sculpture using the Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro. His app, MakerStudio, is designed to allow users to create 3D objects and then paint them, all using augmented reality.
A third video for an upcoming game called ARZombi shows off how ARKit might be used in an ultra realistic augmented reality game. In the demo, virtual zombies are shown invading a person's living room using ARKit.
An ARKit world creation game was also shown off earlier this month, further demonstrating the kind of games that will be made possible with Apple's augmented reality tools. In the game, players control a tabletop world populated with villagers.
Finally, an upcoming virtual pet game that's currently on Kickstarter gives us a peek at what could be a super popular ARKit app category -- Tamagotchi-style apps where a virtual pet is brought into the real world.
Playing fetch in the park with Peanut!🐶🌳 (We're on #Kickstarter! https://t.co/k4ZcIowxRr)#madewitharkit #arkit #vr #indiedev #gamedev pic.twitter.com/IpQEc1Io6W — Ridgeline Labs (@ridgelinelabs) August 20, 2017
When iOS 11 releases, we'll start seeing the first ARKit apps in the App Store. Before then, make sure to check out all of our previous ARKit coverage below to see what else developers can do with it:
- ARKit Roundup: Turn-by-Turn Directions, Precise Room Measurements, and Pac-Man
- Apple's ARKit Used to Recreate Classic A-ha 'Take On Me' Video
- Apple Users' Mixed Reality Future Teased in Latest ARKit Demo
- Latest Apps to Showcase Apple's ARKit Include Simple Measuring Tape and Minecraft
- Developers Share First Augmented Reality Creations Using Apple's ARKit
- Latest ARKit Demo Showcases Virtual Drawing
