Google has found a new source to carry its Street View cameras around for tours: camels.
After using cars, boats, and people to carry around its cameras, the search giant has decided to use a camel named Raffia to give a tour of the Arabian Desert, according to The Verge. The goal was to provide a 360-degree view of the area and to make sure the desert, which Google refers to as "delicate environment," experiences less disturbances.
The camera provides internet users with the feeling that they are actually walking in the Liwa Desert, along with great views of dunes and landscapes.
Raffie was joined by a local guide who walked the camel early in the morning, which is the time of day that has the clearest weather in the area, Sky News reported.
After the tour, Google digitally put the captured photos together to create a virtual world for internet users to explore.
The 10-year-old camel's involvement in the project marks the first time that an animal has been used by a company to take photos, and Google believes Raffia helped them capture images in the "most authentic" way possible, Sky News reported.
"With every environment and every location, we try to customize the capture and how we do it for that part of the environment," said Middle East spokesman Joyce Baz.
"In the case of Liwa we fashioned it in a way so that it goes on a camel so that it can capture imagery in the best, most authentic and least damaging way."
A tour of the desert over the Internet could serve as an option for those who aren't fans of the heat in the area, The Verge reported.
Google hopes that the attention that the project is bringing to the Liwa oasis will lead to an increase in the amount of tourists looking to explore the desert.
