Sodar, the app to keep the social distancing

Between the many rules to follow in this phase of coexistence with the virus there is the social distancing, probably the most difficult to respect. The images about the people going around with the meter to check if the safe distance has been respected made us laugh. Moment ordinary comedy, that though wasn’t a real solution. Sodar should be the solution that we are looking for. It’s an application, launched by Google that uses the augmented reality to help to keep the social distancing.

The social distancing

These are now words and concepts that we learnt to know: virus, asymptomatic, masks, gloves, social distancing. We had to rewrite our habits. No more kisses and hugs when we meet friends and relatives. Right us, italians, that we are so inclined to the human contact.

This will be without a different summer. No swimming pool parties. No crowdy beaches. Everyone tries to downplay, by emphatizing the fact that how much is nice to do the holidays in Italy. But the truth is that this fight to the Coronavirus found us fully unprepared.

We are almost used to be closed in the cocooned shell of our home. And now they ask us to come back to the life. The virus is still here, but now it’s the moment to restart. And if theoretically it’s easy to remember all the rules about the infection, under the practical point of view it’s hard to not throw our arms around the neck of a friend that we don’t see for months. And especially how much it’s hard to keep the social distancing.

All know what the social distancing is. The World Health Organization said that the safe distance of at least two meters between two people, should bring the infection risk very close to zero. But how do we keep the social distancing?

Sodar, the application for the social distancing

There are many that are trying to answer to this question, in a creative way, with a risky methods or by using the last technological innovations.

Google launched a new application, or better an applicative, which can be used by the browser Chrome and only for the device Android, Sodar.

Sodar uses the augmented reality to create an area around the user of two meters of ray. All the times that someone will pass this invisible limit Sodar will alert us about the danger and we can easily correct our position in the space in order to respect the social distancing.

Sodar can use the augmented reality by overlapping it to the virtual screen of our smartphone, by showing on it, preciselly, where the limit of two meters of ray ends. By allowing us, so, to find a place in the line, or inside a shop, on the public transports or everywhere we are to face a moment of post-quarantine daily life.

How does Sodar work

Like we said, Sodar isn’t exactly an application, but it’s what is called applicative. Which means that it can be used straight from the browser, in this case Chrome. Therefore Sodar currently works only on the device Android.

This because Google decided to use, to make its app for the social distancing works, WebXR, a standard implemented starting from the version 79 of Chrome, right for Android.

If we aren’t sure that our model of Smartphone is compatible with WebXR and, so with Sodar, it’s enough to go on the website and to check that our device is between the available ones.

Once found out that our model of smartphone is compatible we must only authorize the access to the camera to the web app, without download anything.

Now Sodar will be able to create a 3D map of the surrounder environment and to check every movement of the user. First of all, obviusly, we have to calibrate the instrument, that, when it will be ready, it will show us the circle of two meters of ray where we are. Now we are ready to keep our safe distancing in this phase of coexistence with the Covid.

This post is also available in: Italiano