Google at its annual developer conference I/O 2017 announced a number of new features for Android and Daydream but one that stood out as triumphant convergence of a number of projects is Visual Positioning System or VPS. It uses internal sensors and cameras to help user navigate the world. VPS will allow you to map indoor locations using its Tango AR platform. Google Tango is AR platform which enables smartphones and tablets to use their camera and on-board sensors to map the environment around the user.

Bavor described the features similar to GPS but rather than talking to satellites it identifies the item you are looking for and through the camera on Tango device, it triangulates position using visual data and previous sessions to take you in the right direction. Google showed it off in a hardware store, but it could easily be extended to malls, stations, museums, or theme parks.

As of now, VPS is being used in partner museums and select Lowe's stores and customers will be able to use it with Tango-enabled smartphones such as the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. Google also announced next Tango-enabled smartphone which in Asus' ZenFone AR, which is said to be the first to implement the new and improved Project Tango and will be available this summer.

In the future, VPS combined with an audio interface could transform the way visually impaired people move around the world. It will be integrated into Google Lens, another AR-based camera technology that Google announced. Although the technology is expected to take some time to establish its root, it remains to be seen how soon developments in augmented reality would reach a wider space.

Image Source: NDTV Gadgets