Google Poly - Google introduces platform for free 3D models (for Virtual and Augmented Reality)
I guess it was only a matter of time. You can already search Google for websites, pictures, videos, products and news. And now you can search for 3D models, too.
Well, it's not entirely that. This is actually part of Google's push into the Virtual Reality realm, it's part of their VR and AR toolset according to Google's blog. Poly is more of a platform to find and upload free 3D models for use in VR/AR projects than it is a general purpose search for all 3D objects everywhere on the internet. Still, nothing keeps you from using it in ways it wasn't intended for. I'm sure the models would also be interesting for people who want to create normal 3D games for example, or for artists who want to add them to their non-VR art.
You can view the 3D models directly in the browser, download them in .obj format for importing into 3D modeling software, or create an animated GIF like this one:
(low quality, I compressed it using gifsicle because the original was a whopping 5 Mb)
You can also browse through categories instead of directly searching for a model (click the burger menu button in the top left). There are categories for people, nature, technology and many more. Search results can be filtered, for example by which app was used to create the model, with Google's Tilt Brush and Google's Blocks as options, which are both applications to model 3D objects using a VR headset like the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift.