There is an app for that” (there is an app for that), this was the theme of many ads that Apple published several years ago along with the first iPhone. The idea is that there were apps to do practically anything, even to measure someone? Sure, even to measure someone .
A somewhat hidden resource of the Measurements app
By now we all know the Measurements app , that application that helps us measure our environment with a precision that, it must be said, is astonishing. This app is included with the operating system, so, from the outset, we all have it available on our devices.
The Measurements app relies on the spatial awareness of the device to take measurements. In most devices it is through the depth information that you can infer from the different cameras, but in some devices the system goes much further. Starting with the iPad Pro (2021) and continuing with the newly introduced iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max Apple has included a LiDAR sensor .
This sensor enables the device to take highly accurate measurements of its surroundings up to about 4 meters away . With this 3D map of space we can then apply reference points and make measurements. What is not so clear at first glance at the app is that we can measure people’s height.
One of the many applications for the precision of the LiDAR of the new iPhone 12 or iPad Pro (2021).
To use this function we need a device with a LiDAR sensor like the new iPhone 12 Pro, for example. After opening the Measurements app, we simply have to focus on the person we want to measure as if we were to take a full-body photo . After a couple of seconds we will see an indicator line appear on the top of your head along with the value of your height.
Nothing else, that easy. If we want to record that measurement we can touch the button in the form of a trigger on the screen to take a photo with the measurement information superimposed. In terms of precision, there is surprise, in most cases, a single measurement with good lighting conditions and point of view is enough for precision to the centimeter.
IN APPLESFERA
So we can create a personal 5GHz Wi-Fi access point with our iPhone 12
This, like many others, is one of those small functions that Apple includes in its devices without announcing it with great fanfare and that make a difference in utility. It is easy to forget that they are there, but the next time our son asks us to check if he has grown, for example, we will only have to use our iPhone.
