People can learn the technology behind familiar objects in New York City’s infrastructure through the “Science City Explorers” an augmented reality (AR) application offered by Verizon, Snap, social technology agency GoSpooky and the New York Hall of Science.
“Science City Explorers” is a new Snapchat Lens that uses machine learning to offer AR experiences across the city. For instance, a participant unlocking the Snapchat Lens and pointing it at a stop sign will learn that the object uses reflective sheeting to make it more luminous and visible at night. The Snapchat Lens offers similar insights into select water, electricity and transportation infrastructure in the Big Apple.
“Science City Explorers” is available for Verizon customers with a 5G smartphone on a 5G unlimited plan when they are on the carrier’s 5G Ultra Wideband network in the New York City metro area. End users scan a QR code to enable the app.
There is a 4G version available for Snapchat users regardless of carrier and coverage area.
“The massive bandwidth, low latency and fast speeds of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network takes learning to a whole new level, allowing users to collect and learn in super high fidelity on the go,” Srini Kalapala, the Senior Vice President of Technology and Product Development at Verizon, said in a press release.
“By combining the power of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network with Snap’s AR technology and NYSCI’s learning assets, you unlock unique, immersive experiences so children can interact and learn about science in new and engaging ways while they explore the city.”
In March, 2022, Verizon, Snap and Cirque du Soleil released a three-minute Snapchat Lens presentation inspired by “O,” a Cirque du Soleil aquatic live show normally seen at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
About a year before that – in April, 2021 — Verizon and Snap released what then was referred to as a Landmarker Lens AR experience that focused on a famous mural in Venice Beach, painted by Louis Masai. It depicts a cougar known as P-22 who crossed two of Los Angeles’ eight-lane freeways in search of a new home almost a decade earlier.
