You can visit a Detroit museum in a new way with Google's Tango AR camera

Currently, there’s just one smartphone you can buy that has Google’s Tango augmented reality camera technology; the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. However, the company seems very determined to show that the Tango AR features can be used in new ways. Today, Google and the Detroit Institute of Arts have announced a partnership to let visitors see exhibits in the museum in a new way with the Tango AR-based Phab 2 Pro.

Google said that visitors to the museum can request a Phab 2 Pro to use inside at its front desk. Then they can take the phone and use its Tango AR camera, combined with a app made by GuidiGO, to view a number of exhibits in different ways. For example, they can see what’s inside a mummy’s sarcophagus with the phone, along with the ability to see the original colors and look of the Limestone Reliefs of Mesopotamia. Google says this will be just the first example of a Tango AR-based experience in museums, and more partnerships are in the works.

While the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is the only Tango phone currently available, ASUS just announced the ZenFone AR at CES 2017 last week, for a launch later in 2017. HUAWEI also plans to launch its own Tango phone this year, and Lenovo will launch a second phone in 2017, along with a Tango-based Moto Mod for its Moto Z smartphones.