How to use Google’s AR tool Sodar for social distancing

Google's AR tool Sodar will mark a virtual radius around you to help maintain social distancing.

Whenever you are stepping out of your house right now, you can use Sodar to figure out exactly how far you should be from the next person to maintain a safe distance. (Pixabay)

Google and Apple are working on a contact tracing tool but in the meanwhile Google has found a way to help you practice social distancing and adjust to what just might become the ‘new normal'. Google's AR-based tool Sodar is what you need to try out.

Whenever you are stepping out of your house right now, you can use Sodar to figure out exactly how far you should be from the next person to maintain a safe distance. 

Sodar - use WebXR to help visualise social distancing guidelines in your environment. Using Sodar on supported mobile devices, create an augmented reality two meter radius ring around you. #hacktohelp https://t.co/Bu78QrEN9f pic.twitter.com/kufatNFDQk

— Experiments with Google (@ExpWithGoogle) May 28, 2020

The AR-tool has you point the camera towards the ground and shows a visual boundary of two metres (a little more than six feet) around you - a distance that has been recommended by health authorities.

Sodar is a tool and not an app, yet, so to use it you need to go to the website. The AR-tool is available on Google Chrome on Android devices for now.

Here's how you use it:

1. Go to the Sodar website. If you have opened this on your laptop or PC, use your phone to scan the mobile QR code to open it on your smartphone.

2. Click on ‘Enter AR' when you get the prompt

3. Your phone camera will be opened and you just need to point it towards the ground, or any other surface, and it will show you the two metre radius.

4. While you are out of your house, you can keep Sodar on to check how far you should be standing from anyone around you.

5. To use the tool again you need to just go to the website the next time and click on launch.