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The Best Apple ARKit Test Projects [UPDATE: 4th August]

The Best Apple ARKit Test Projects [UPDATE: 4th August]

Apple’s iOS 11 for iPhone and iPad is scheduled for a consumer launch ‘this fall’, but developers have had access to it since it was announced at June’s WWDC. And with it, Apple’s suite of Augmented Reality developer tools, ARKit

Since then, we’ve seen a stream of experiments and tests as developers get to grips with the new tech and share videos of the results.

With the possible launch of a new iPhone next month and the consumer release of iOS 11 fast approaching, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite ARKit videos so you can see for yourself what developers around the world are already making – and maybe find some inspiration for your next project.

As Apple said - this is, “AR like you’ve never seen it before”...

 

For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


Click here to view the list »
  • Take On Me

    We’ll start with our favourite, because – well... have you seen it? Chip Sineni of Trixi Studios, a Chicago-based VR/AR team of videogame industry vets, has turned his living room into one of our all-time favourite music videos.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Wingnut AR

    We know you’ve already seen the Wingnut AR footage from WWDC, but it would be remiss of us not to include the sci-fi wasteland demo from Peter Jackson’s Wingnut studio on this list. The experience was displayed on a table using Apple’s ARKit and Epic’s Unreal Engine 4.

    There’s an interesting video by the BBC with Creative Director, Alasdair Coull, here

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Inter-dimensional Portal

    This was one of the first AR videos that took off on our social media feed, attracting attention from outside of the industry. And we can see why. Although it’s ‘just a door’, it’s a door into another world! An intriguing insight into the promise of the medium by nedd.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Parking A Car On iPhone

    Another one of the earlier ARKit videos to surface and still one of our favourites, as Vincenzo C experiments with gameplay elements in a real world setting. The car model and sounds are from M.U.D. Mobile Rally, free on Google Play.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • The Armada Arrives!

    Ever wanted to live in the world of V or Independence Day? Glen Rhodes apparently did, when he added a space armada to the skies above his house. He described it as an, “Experiment to see how 'large' items would feel. Ironically, the 6 DOF isn't obvious here, because large items are so far away that translation does not come across.” The project features adjustable fog density, colour, and light rotation / intensity to match the scene.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • bloom In AR

    bloom in AR by ecco screen is a demo based on his 2006 audiovisual work with the same name. He said of ARKit that it, “Works perfectly on planar surfaces like tables, but the real game changer is how well it works outdoors in large open spaces. You can walk around freely and sometimes look up at the sky without it losing much of its tracking.”

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • 4DAR ARKit Unity

    We were impressed with how credibly the life-size players integrate with the scene in this project from Asian developer 应高选. We’ve also seen this iPhone 6s test play out perfectly in action figure proportions on a desktop – uncanny. Is this the future of how we will watch sports?

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • BB-8 Test

    Although not one of the more technically ambitious tests, we’re suckers for anything Star Wars here at TheVirtualReport.biz, so this project by iPhone Concepts gets the thumbs up from us. We’d love an Artoo companion, but we’ll take BB-8 in the meantime.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Augmented Reality Minecraft

    Minecraft is one of the biggest games ever – and it could be about to get a whole lot bigger in AR! Matthew Hallberg makes YouTube, VR and AR with Unity. He said, “I love that you are able to place life size objects because the tracking with ARkit is so good”.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • CoreLocation Demo - GPS With Virtual Guidance

    GPS directions and AR are a match made in heaven, as shown in this project by ProjectDent - sat nav manufacturers must be getting very nervous, right now. The source code is now available on GitHub

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • AR Shopping Waypoints

    The previous video showed how useful AR could be for navigation, but there’s no reason that AR directions have to stop when you go inside, as shown in this video from Bruce Vang and his AR Waypoints. Now, where’s the videogames aisle...

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • The Machines

    Although AR is often portrayed as a utility – as opposed to VR’s entertainment – this project by Chinese studio, Directive Games shows that not only could AR games rival VR, they might also pose serious competition to the tabletop gaming scene.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Seattle Museum Of Flight

    Tosolini Productions partnered with the Seattle Museum of Flight to create this 3D model of the very first Boeing 737, using Matterport. The experience consists in an inter-dimensional portal that you can walk through and it'll transport you inside a 3D model of the plane generated with a scanner. The model is in 1:1 scale, meaning that as you walk along the real plane with your iPad in hand, you experience what's inside the plane in AR.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Room Measurement

    Not every AR project that has caught our attention has dancing anime girls, spaceships or giant robots. Some of them just look really, really useful – like this AR measuring tool from Smart Picture 3D. There’s no need to carry a tape measure onsite as long as you have your smartphone...

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • AR Measure App Demo

    Another AR measuring app, this time from Laan Labs, designers and engineers around the world who specialise in audio and visual applications. Find out more about the app here

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Furniture Dropping App

    Ikea has already expressed its intentions to release an ARKit app to help users visualise the Scandinavian furniture in their homes, but Asher Vollmer has already shown us how this could work.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Mixed Reality Porsche App with AR Kit and HoloLens

    British immersive experience studio, You Are Here, has already worked with brands such as Volvo and Nike, and in this project, they show how AR could bring the car customisation process to life for Porsche on iPhone 8, HoloLens and Rift.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • W Motors (Lykan) Demo

    Another motoring project, the W Motor’s app by Visionaries 777 enables users to get close to one of the most exclusive cars on the planet.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Augmented Reality Food Nutritional Value

    Roger Strummer’s fourth demo adds image recognition for displaying nutritional value of food. We imagine Weight Watchers are watching with interest...

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Test With Tap And Pan Gestures To Manipulate 3-D Objects

    Brick Maier’s early look at basic interaction with 3-D objects in ARKit uses templates provided in Xcode 9 scene kit, with custom tap and pan gestures to test manipulation with objects.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Tracking Monster

    Dark Souls in AR? That could be a thing if this test by Asian developer, 小林佑, is anything to go by. Here you can see the tracking working as the monster keeps its focus on the user throughout.

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Realistic 3D Food

    The food served up by Turkish ‘Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality solution provider, Pandora Reality, really does look good enough to eat! We’ve seen other meal preview apps, but this is mouthwatering stuff indeed. You can see more models on sketchfab or download the Kabaq app on the iTunes store. This video was featured on the YouTube DigiCapitalist playlist

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Face Recognition And Augmented Reality Demo For Office

    Finnish firm, Intopalo could make our networking and social lives a lot less embarrassing with this app. If you’re not great at remembering names and the prospect of never having to dredge the depths of your memory banks to recall a contact’s name appeals, this is for you. This video was featured on the YouTube DigiCapitalist playlist

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • ReBlink Trailer

    Multi-award winning digital artist Alex Mayhew presents his newest project ReBlink. This exhibition blends traditional art with computer vision to ‘re-mix’ nine paintings in the Art Gallery of Ontario’s permanent collection, bringing them to life in a new light. This video was featured on the YouTube DigiCapitalist playlist

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • The Pixie Technology iOS app in action - Find your keys

    AR has the potential to entwine itself into our everyday lives with a range of handy apps and this one could prove essential for some people we know. Always losing your keys? No more, thanks to Pixie and ARKit! Affix a Pixie Point location tracker to any object so you can find it using your iPhone, with ‘down to the inch accuracy’. Neat-o! This video was featured on the YouTube DigiCapitalist playlist

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • JigSpace

    If you’ve ever been confasbulated by printed instructions to assembling your new office chair or swapping out a SIM card, then JigSpace shows you an easier AR future. Instead of referring to a leaflet – or even a screen guide - you could see the instructions carried out right alongside your task, making it easier to match the procedure accurately. It is for this precise reason that Google Glass is enjoying something of a resurgence in enterprise applications at the moment. This video was featured on the YouTube DigiCapitalist playlist

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


  • Clay VR Gesture Recognition On iPhone

    Clay VR offers gesture recognition with just an iPhone's camera, and it's being integrated with Apple's ARKit platform. With an SDK and a library of gestures including Pinch, Freeze, and Swipe already available, if this tech works, why would any user need to invest in additional tracking hardware for a gesture interface? This video was featured on the YouTube DigiCapitalist playlist

     

    For expert insight into the future of AR - as well as VR and MR – from more than 60 speakers, register now for XR Connects Helsinki 2017, 19-20 September. 


Managing Editor

Steve is an award-winning editor and copywriter with nearly 25 years’ experience specialising in consumer technology and video games. He was part of a BAFTA nominated developer studio. In addition to editing TheVirtualReport.biz, Steve contributes to BeyondGames.biz, PocketGamer.biz, PCGamesInsider.biz and BlockchainGamer.biz, as well as creating marketing content for a range of SMEs and agencies.