What you need to know
- Niantic Spatial launches two upgraded version of its Scaniverse app and VPS 2.0.
- The former is useable on regular phones, giving users in construction or logistics, the tools to scan the world around them and reconstruct it digitally, which others can contribute to.
- VPS 2.0 is now capable of delivering precise locations without requiring a previous scan; however, if you have scanned with Scaniverse, users will find “near centimeter-accurate” readings.
To give AI a “map of the real world,” Niantic says that requires heavy-duty data, which is where its latest debut comes into play.
Niantic Spatial’s foray into geospatial facilitates its latest update, which launches two products: Scaniverse and VPS 2.0. Scaniverse is quite significant for Niantic Spatial, as it states this is the “entry point” into its spatial services. The post says Scaniverse is a “self-serve platform” that powers a wide range of services, such as data capture and upload, generation of spatial assets, and more. Scaniverse is said to work on everyday phones for the capturing, reconstruction, and localization of the real-world.
With a phone, Niantic says can create a precise map and high-fidelity meshes and splats with Scaniverse. You’re not the only one involved in a project, as others invited to a shared project can add their scans, which are “fused into a single unified model.” Niantic sees this as useful for people in logistics or construction, which is why the Scaniverse app still operates in low-connectivity settings.
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More than that, once the scans are uploaded, users can validate their data via the VPS map preview. While the Scaniverse app remains relatively unchanged—aside from a few upgrades—Niantic Spatial says it pairs well with computers. Data uploaded can be managed, giving users the ability to reconstruct 360-degree camera footage for large areas.
Collaborations remain consistent even in the web view, alongside upcoming VPS support for 360-degree videos.
Forget GPS, it’s all about VPS
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Niantic Spatial’s VPS 2.0 is capable of providing users with “precise visual positioning that now works at a global scale” with no prior scanning required. In addition to this, if you’ve previously scanned an area with Scaniverse, VPS 2.0 can provide “near centimeter-accurate 6DoF localization.” The company also touts its VPS software as being “resilient to GPS degradation.”
Any available visual context, as well as multiple data sources, contribute to VPS 2.0’s enhanced capabilities. Niantic adds that VPS 2.0 can play a key role for companies that utilize robots, as positioning can be lost when indoors if they’re leveraging GPS alone. April makes the NDSK documentation available for developers looking to update their mobile apps or robotic systems.
You might remember Niantic from when it owned Pokémon Go. Last year, the company dropped its gaming division and set out on a new path: Niantic Spatial, an organization focused on developing a geospatial model to merge AI with the real-world. Niantic Spatial got started with $250 million in its pocket for its new ambitions. It stated that, while there are ideas behind bringing its AI into smaller devices, it also set its sights on automatic systems.
Android Central’s Take
This is cool. This gives me sci-fi vibes. It’s also not entirely new to see a company try and create a model that lets its AI “see” the world we live in. To help it understand for better assistance. As Niantic said, many AI models focus on text and images. Mapping the world, and turning that into a reconstructed model that construction workers can use, is huge. Sure, they can run the numbers themselves, find the faults, but AI can be there to help streamline things, so they can get what matters done even faster.
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