A short 19-second video demonstrates how this effect works. First, an image of balloons appears, forming the number of the current year: “2021”. After that, confetti begins to pour and fall to the floor and sofa.

Since virtual elements fall to different levels of the surface, this additionally creates a sense of their realism. Among social networks, Snapchat and TikTok are the first to use the LIDAR scanner for some functions within the services.

It should be noted that all developers have access to the use of this function, but the technology appeared relatively recently. The first device with LIDAR was the iPad Pro, introduced in spring 2020. Then came the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max with this sensor. For those unfamiliar with the technology, we explain: LIDAR projects beams of light in the infrared range onto surrounding objects. After the beams are scanned, the device creates a detailed, three-dimensional map of the surrounding objects.