Snapchat's latest AR filters turn the floor into lava

There have been immersive Snapchat Lenses before, but this latest batch can literally change the world around you. Snap has unveiled "Ground Transformation" Lenses that turn the ground into a lava pit or water -- yes, you can pretend the floor is lava like you're eight years old all over again. Both use machine learning to understand the geometry of the land and help apply special effects, such as reflections from the buildings around you.

The filters build on the effects from Lenses like Baby and Time Machine. Yes, you'll probably only use them sparingly -- say, to portray a place as a literal hellscape. They do show how advanced phone-based augmented reality has become, though. They also give Snapchat something else it can lord over Instagram, at least until its social media rival decides to counter the feature.