Daily Times

Now you can have an eye-popping journey around the world and sate your wanderlust from the comfort of your armchair – thanks to Google Search’s new augmented reality (AR) tool.

Eventually, 37 cultural heritage sites will be made available as interactive 3D models on smartphones.

Highlights include Edinburgh Castle, the moai statues of Ahu Ature Huki on Easter Island, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and the Maya pyramid of Chichén Itzá in Mexico.

To view an AR site simply perform a Google Search for it, then scroll down once the results are up. If a 3D model is available you’ll see it rotating on a blank background under the heading ‘3D model’.

Click ‘View in 3D’ and you’ll then be able to spin the image around using the touchscreen.

To view an AR site simply perform a Google Search for it, then scroll down once the results are up. If a 3D model is available you’ll see it rotating on a blank background under the heading ‘3D model’

Underneath it will be an invitation to ‘view in your space’. Clicking this will place the interactive model wherever the camera is pointed.

Google Arts & Culture launched the new Search tool today ahead of World Tourism Day on September 27.

The tool was developed in partnership with CyArk, a nonprofit organization located in Oakland, California, which strives to ‘digitally record, archive and share the world’s most significant cultural heritage and ensure that these places continue to inspire wonder and curiosity for decades to come’.

The University of South Florida Libraries Digital Heritage & Humanities Collection also collaborated on the project.

A spokesperson from Google said of the new tool: ‘The goal is to showcase the importance of heritage sites and inspire users to engage with cultural heritage.

‘A user who is interested in one of these heritage sites will be able to view the 3D model through a simple search query on Google Search on their mobile device. The model will surface in the search results.’

Travel-starved tech-users can continue their journey on Google Arts & Culture, which has made hundreds of other destinations available for virtual exploration.

For instance, there’s the option to transport yourself back in time to Ancient Egypt and take a virtual tour of the pyramids of Giza or, if you’re a fan of heights, a tour of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania might pique your interest.

Instagrammers and YouTube stars are also on hand to take you on a journey. You can explore Andalucia with YouTube creator Kikillo or join a virtual walk around Milan with travel-savvy Instagram creator Federica di Nardo.

Google notes if the augmented reality function ‘really has you hooked, make sure to check out a few other cool things including dinosaurs, the skeletal system and Apollo 11 by looking them up in Google Search’.