ARCore Cloud Anchors at Google IO 2018

**Google’s Cloud Anchors: A New Era of Collaborative Augmented Reality Experiences**

At Google’s I/O 2018 conference, the tech giant introduced several exciting new features for its AR platform, specifically tailored for Android devices. One of the most notable innovations is **Cloud Anchors**, a groundbreaking technology that enables developers to create collaborative augmented reality (AR) experiences across different platforms, including both Android and iOS devices. To demonstrate the potential of this feature, Google showcased an in-house demo called **Light Board**, which provides a glimpse into how these collaborative AR experiences can work in real-world scenarios.

### Understanding Cloud Anchors: A Breakthrough for Cross-Platform Collaboration

Cloud Anchors is designed to allow users to share and collaborate on AR content seamlessly across devices. This means that Android and iOS users can now engage in the same AR experience simultaneously, regardless of their device’s operating system. The technology essentially acts as a bridge, enabling real-time interaction between different platforms by leveraging cloud-based processing.

During the demo, the host stood next to a Google Pixel device, attempting to pair the collaborative experience with another user. The goal was to map out a table and create an AR environment where both participants could interact within the same space. By dragging an object to the table, the users were able to anchor their shared AR experience, demonstrating how Cloud Anchors facilitates collaboration in real-time.

### The Light Board Demo: A Glimpse into Collaborative AR Gaming

To showcase the capabilities of Cloud Anchers, Google introduced **Light Board**, a fun and interactive demo that combined elements of gaming with AR. In this demo, two users stood next to each other, each holding their own device—one an iPhone and the other a Pixel—while projecting AR content onto a standard table.

The game itself was akin to a paintball battle, where participants aimed at “painting” the opposing player’s table as much as possible. The objective was to cover the opponent’s table in virtual paint while protecting one’s own. The host of the demo humorously noted that his opponent was the creator of the game, which likely contributed to his eventual loss.

Throughout the demo, it was evident that the AR experience was entirely projection-based, with no additional hardware or modifications required to the table. The surroundings remained visible to both participants, but the AR elements were superimposed onto the physical space, creating a seamless blend between reality and virtuality.

### Cross-Platform Compatibility: A Game-Changer for AR Development

One of the most significant advantages of Cloud Anchors is its cross-platform compatibility. Traditionally, AR experiences have been limited to specific devices or ecosystems, but with Cloud Anchers, developers can now create apps that work across both Android and iOS platforms. This opens up new possibilities for app development, enabling users to collaborate regardless of their device’s operating system.

The demo highlighted how this technology could be applied in various contexts, from gaming to education and productivity. The ability to anchor AR content in real-world spaces and share it with others creates a foundation for a wide range of collaborative applications.

### A New Era for Augmented Reality

Google’s Cloud Anchors represent a significant step forward in the evolution of augmented reality technology. By enabling cross-platform collaboration, this feature democratizes AR experiences, making them accessible to a broader audience. The Light Board demo serves as an excellent example of how developers can leverage Cloud Anchers to create engaging and interactive applications.

As AR continues to evolve, tools like Cloud Anchers will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of collaborative digital experiences. Whether it’s gaming, productivity, or social interaction, the possibilities are virtually limitless.

In conclusion, Google’s I/O 2018 conference provided a sneak peek into the future of augmented reality with Cloud Anchers and the Light Board demo. These innovations not only showcase the potential of AR but also highlight Google’s commitment to fostering collaboration across devices and platforms. As developers begin to explore the capabilities of Cloud Anchers, we can expect to see a wave of new apps and experiences that redefine how we interact with digital content in the real world.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eneveryone at i/o 2018 Google debuted a couple new features for airport their augmented reality platform for Android one of the new features is called cloud anchors and that basically enables developers to create these collaborative experiences not just with Android phones but with iOS phones as well one of the new experiences is called light board and this is sort of a in-house demo that Google is debuting just to sort of see how this collaborative experience works so light board this is an iPhone and so it's a good way to see how this exactly works so now we're standing next to this pixel over here where we're trying to pair this collaborative experience or mapping out this table right here and now thinking I would have to what join and now I believe I can drag this there you go drag this to the table to the place that I want he's gonna go over there and we're gonna play a quick little game this is just again cloud anchors debuting that sort of technology and you can see that we both started we have these little tables and we're gonna be shooting paint at the other one trying to mask the other table as much as we can so it's kind of like Angry Birds in a way or or splatoon maybe if you've ever played that on a Nintendo switch there's this little coins ding click to fix some of your paint fill the bubbles apparently this guy I'm playing is the creator of the game so I will probably lose although I think I'm doing ok so this is actually if you can't tell this is a completely a our space we're not seeing this on the table behind you we are completely just seeing all of this in AR but of course I can still see my surroundings that can feel my surroundings we're completely in this AR space we're projecting things to this table right here completely normal table nothing special added to it it's all through the new air and for experience and of course I lost because that guy created the game so I'm gonna just say that's the reason why I lost but so that's cloud anchors and that's quick look at how that's a new feature with AR core and it's going to enable a lot more share to collaborative experiences between iPhones Androids and just about any other phoneeveryone at i/o 2018 Google debuted a couple new features for airport their augmented reality platform for Android one of the new features is called cloud anchors and that basically enables developers to create these collaborative experiences not just with Android phones but with iOS phones as well one of the new experiences is called light board and this is sort of a in-house demo that Google is debuting just to sort of see how this collaborative experience works so light board this is an iPhone and so it's a good way to see how this exactly works so now we're standing next to this pixel over here where we're trying to pair this collaborative experience or mapping out this table right here and now thinking I would have to what join and now I believe I can drag this there you go drag this to the table to the place that I want he's gonna go over there and we're gonna play a quick little game this is just again cloud anchors debuting that sort of technology and you can see that we both started we have these little tables and we're gonna be shooting paint at the other one trying to mask the other table as much as we can so it's kind of like Angry Birds in a way or or splatoon maybe if you've ever played that on a Nintendo switch there's this little coins ding click to fix some of your paint fill the bubbles apparently this guy I'm playing is the creator of the game so I will probably lose although I think I'm doing ok so this is actually if you can't tell this is a completely a our space we're not seeing this on the table behind you we are completely just seeing all of this in AR but of course I can still see my surroundings that can feel my surroundings we're completely in this AR space we're projecting things to this table right here completely normal table nothing special added to it it's all through the new air and for experience and of course I lost because that guy created the game so I'm gonna just say that's the reason why I lost but so that's cloud anchors and that's quick look at how that's a new feature with AR core and it's going to enable a lot more share to collaborative experiences between iPhones Androids and just about any other phone\n"