Google Maps Street View: Man caught in alarming position - what’s he doing to his body?
GOOGLE MAPS is a service most people turn to when they're trying to find directions or a specific location. However, Google's Street View technology offers much more than functionality - as this man found out.
Google Maps Street View depicts what locations look like from the ground level. This can be highly useful if you’re trying to get an idea of what somewhere resembles. However, the technology also serves as an unlikely source of entertainment.
Google cameras and Street View contributors often snap people as they go about their lives.
Typically it’s the photos that are the oddest or funniest that soon go viral.
Such images rarely show people at their best - as one man in Italy showed.
The man was spotted on Google Maps as he explored south-western Italy near the town of Furore on the Amalfi coast.
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However, there was something highly unusual about this tourist.
He was photographed in a very disturbing position as he turned towards a rock face.
There looks to be something very creepy indeed happening to his body.
The Google Maps photo shows the figure wearing red shorts and black and white trainers.
He is standing by the rock next to two rucksacks and a tripod.
However, while his lower half appears entirely regular - what has happened to his top half?
It simply cannot be seen - no torso, no arms, no head - nothing. All that can be spotted are his bottom, legs and feet.
To add to the mystery, to the left of the man, above the bags, is a very alarming sight.
There appears to be a floating head wearing a backwards baseball hat. Could it be the head of the torso-less tourist?
Clearly something very unusual has happened in the Google Maps shot.
The image was shared on content-sharing site Reddit and the poster suggested magic was at work.
They referenced J.K Rowling’s fictional wizard hero and his invisibility cloak with the caption: “Harry Potter outgrew his cloak.”
However, it’s probable there is a much more rational explanation for the lack of body in the photo.
It is very likely the distorted image is the result of a technological glitch with Google Maps. The photography splicing has caused the problem due to the way the images form.
When taking the photo, the 360-degree cameras shoot multiple pictures to create a seamless image.
However, moving objects often ruin the scene as they shift when the photos are taken.
It is most likely the man moved when the images were taken, resulting in the strange photo.