crustacean with eye-covered head among prehistoric critters to roam your home thanks to google AR

google has introduced a new way to explore history in your own home with the release of a collection of prehistoric animals digitally revived in augmented reality. the menagerie of ancient critters are invited to virtually roam your living room via the google arts & culture app. if you’ve ever wondered what it felt like to stare into some of the oldest eyes on earth, the platform summons cambropachycope, an ancient crustacean with a distinctive, pointy head covered in tiny eyes. made in collaboration with institutions including moscow’s state darwin museum and london’s natural history museum, google is sharing these up close and personal augmented reality views of prehistoric creatures right through your own phone.

aegirocassis, a 480m-year-old marine animal

in addition to cambropachycope, the google arts & culture platform offers augmented encounters with the oldest large filter feeder, a fish that swims poorly, and the largest animal ever to live on earth. in case unusual critters aren’t your thing, google has also recreated a collection of cultural artifacts to experience in AR, such as the pre-inca ‘smiling god’ lanzón from circa 500 BCE, or see the apollo 11 command module. you can also snap a picture or a video to see how these creatures compare in size to the felis catus (cat) or canis familiaris (dog) in your home.

the spotted trunkfish, a toxic reef-dweller

cambropachycope is the owner of one of the oldest compound eyes