Since 2012, Google has taken the everyday user around the world with its advanced Street View technology. By utilizing the Trekker, a wearable backpack-camera system, historic landmarks inaccessible by car, are now brought to life through a series of 360-degree panoramic images.
Now, for its next endeavor, Google will show its users what it’s like to traverse through the Amazon. This latest addition to Google’s already vast collection of digital maps is the result of a collaboration between Google and Amazonas Sustainable Foundation, or FAS, an environmental protection group.
In order to explore a remote part of the Amazon rainforest, the FAS sent a Trekker down a zip line. Despite being a leader in the technological industry, even Google found this feat a little nerve-wracking, according to Karin Tuxen-Bettman, who oversees Google’s Street View partnerships.
But Google is known for “going out on a technological limb,” states Michael Liedtke of The Seattle Times.
“One of the things that I love about working at Google is that if a partner comes to us with a crazy idea, we will probably try it,” Tuxen-Bettman said.
Google, for example, did not hesitate before it decided to strap the camera on the back of a camel in order to explore the beautiful sands of Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Oasis. Or how about when the Trekker traveled on a dog sled in the Canadian Artic to photograph the tundra?
In preparation for this particular trip, however, FAS workers had to maneuver down 500km of rivers, and walk another 20km through forest trails, before deciding on a location where they could establish the zip line that would safety transport the Trekker. The resulting footage is a breathtaking view, starting from the top of the treetops to the bottom of the forest floor.
“High up in the canopy, you can see thick moss on the trunks, miles of hanging vine, and some of the many plants and insects that call this place home,” wrote Tuxen-Bettman in a blog post Sunday. ”
Users can also check out one of the 17 communities that live in the forest, as well as the waters of the Rio Aripuanã or the Rio Mariepauá, according to PC Mag.
See for yourself in this video.
The Google Trekker in Grand Canyon
