Niantic, Inc.

🌍📲 Join the November Missing Maps Challenge and support mapping that NGOs rely on to provide humanitarian and developmental support. For every 3D splat you post on Scaniverse, we’ll donate $1 to The Missing Maps. Share in the community to double your impact to $2! Let’s build the future of maps — together. http://bit.ly/scan-mm

"I’ve been working in 3D graphics for 38 years now, and I don’t think we’ve seen anything this transformative since real-time texture mapping in 1991." - Niantic SVP of Engineering, Brian McClendon. We're all in on Gaussian splatting, and we’re inviting everyone in 3D graphics to join us on this journey. That's why we're open-sourcing SPZ, a format we developed that compresses 3D Gaussian splats by 90% with virtually no loss in visual quality. This is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to see the creative innovations the community will bring to life.

Niantic is partnering with Augment Therapy to explore how virtual pets can support physical rehabilitation for pediatric and geriatric care. Together, we're creating Peridot-inspired experiences to help people recover faster.🐾 Read on: https://lnkd.in/erQQkA4t

Trick or Tree!? 🌳 🎃 Join the $1,500 3D Scanning & Splatting Sweepstakes! Make a Gaussian Splat with Scaniverse and share it to the contest page for a chance to win one of 3, $500 gift cards. 1 Splat shared = 1 entry. No limit. We can't wait to see what you'll create! https://lnkd.in/g_rayH8h #GaussianSplat #splat #3DGS #sweepstakes #3DGaussianSplatting #GaussianSplatting #NERFS #AR #VR #XR #spatialcomputing #radianceFields #community #Splaturday

🌍 Niantic Adds World Pose to Enhance Device Positioning in ARDK 3.9 🚀 We're excited to announce that World Pose (WPS) is now available in ARDK 3.9, expanding the possibilities for accurate, large-scale AR experiences—even in under-mapped areas! 🌐✨ 🧭World Pose combines GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) data, magnetometer readings, and AR tracking to deliver precise geographic positioning, complementing our Visual Positioning System (VPS). Now in full production from its experimental phase, World Pose lays the groundwork for immersive location-based AR that works anywhere, even where VPS coverage is limited. 👯ARDK 3.9 also introduces Ad Hoc Mapping as an experimental feature, underscoring our commitment to pushing the boundaries of augmented reality and spatial computing. As the name suggests, Ad Hoc Mapping allows users to quickly scan an area to create a map, enabling others to join and collaborate in a shared AR session. 🌐Whether it’s centimeter accurate VPS or quick maps for instant collaboration, these mapping tools are built to connect people, no matter where they’re located. 📰Check out our blog for the full scoop: https://lnkd.in/gXjbW-zp #AR #ARDK #SpatialComputing #VPS #AdHocMapping #WorldPose #Niantic

Our pride in the product is matched only by our pride in the team that helps build it.

This mental health day we want to focus on the importance of nurturing positive, real-world interactions between people. Do you have a friend you’ve made through playing one of our games? Let us know at player-stories@nianticlabs.com.🧘 https://lnkd.in/d5M3pTi8

🚀Niantic is back at ECCV 2024 with more original research! We’re excited to announce that the Niantic Research and Mapping teams will be presenting four groundbreaking papers that broaden the horizons of 3D reconstruction, depth estimation, and real-time mesh prediction. The team will also be “including an oral presentation of ‘ACE Zero’, a new method for 3D reconstruction using a neural network to efficiently reconstruct high quality scenes.” Some other highlights from our research include: 🔹 DoubleTake: Geometry Guided Depth Estimation for state-of-the-art depth maps and meshes.  🔹 GroundUp: A sketch-based 3D city modeling tool for rapid urban massing.  🔹 HandDGP: Accurate, real-time 3D hand mesh prediction from camera feeds. In addition, we’re hosting a Map-free Visual Relocalization Workshop & Challenge, “where teams and algorithms are tasked with estimating metric camera pose for a query image given a single reference image.” Researchers from top institutions and organizations, including Meta, Google, CTU Prague, and Oxford University, will be presenting their innovative solutions. Cash prizes will be awarded! Computer vision is at the heart of Niantic’s core and we’re proud to be a part of spatial computing research and innovation. Check out our full blog here: https://lnkd.in/gXQWBw2p #ECCV2024 #SpatialComputing #AugmentedReality

We're thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Meta, bringing even more magic to Peridot’s “Hello, Dot” experience on the Meta Quest 3! We’re pushing the limits of mixed reality with immersive 3D gameplay, fun accessories, and new charming game features. ✨ Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gTcs8wMv

It's an exciting time for augmented reality and spatial computing with many developments just this month! Everyone is staking their ground, and we expect more momentum heading into next year – a year where AR, AI, and games are converging, and a new computing platform is forming. What’s become even clearer is that spatial computing will require a new map. One that we've been pouring nearly a decade into building since the very early days of Niantic. Our considerable investment in our geospatial games, like Pokémon GO and more, has paved the way for this 3D platform to emerge, including our 3D scanning app Scaniverse. You can read more about our work building towards an outdoor spatial computing future in this post: https://lnkd.in/gP-k_ncJ