AR-Sandbox

This semester we have a digital MediaNight (again). This is sad, as there are so many nice and tangible projects that you should really see and touch in the real world, in order to grasp better what it is all about and be inspired. One of those tangible projects is (C)AR, the AR-Sandbox we’ve been working on this semester. Three Master students (CSM) and I have re-build the AR-Sandbox in our Mobile Lab, an originally NSF-funded project on informal science education for freshwater lake and watershed science developed by the UC Davis’ W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES), together with the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Lawrence Hall of Science, and ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center (see: https://arsandbox.ucdavis.edu).
The cool thing about this project is, that it combines woodwork with technology (Kinect, Augmented Reality) and you have something to play with. So it is a lot of fun to try it out. But unfortunately, this MediaNight is digital. Aliena, Leo and Elisa will show you a live demo today between 18:00 and 19:30, if you wish. So please attend the MediaNight and give us feedback here.

AR-Sanbox in action
AR-Sandbox in action

Another tangible project we have been working on during this semester is XPlore. In this research project we are investigating into new ways of human-machine interaction in autonomous shuttles. The idea is to create a way of more natural interaction with an artificial intelligence by using social cues and create the impression of a more organic interior – almost as if the vehicle was a living thing, communicating with the passengers using light, sound and touch. It is very sad, you can not try this out. It is impressive! Visit the project team tonight here.

  • Xplore Project
    Interior of our driving simulator

There are many more fantastic projects at the MediaNight this semester, I would like you to see. We’ve been working on our educational platform “Schule 4.0“, as well as on ChatBots in cooperation with Porsche and many more. So please join the MediaNight tonight starting at 18:00 and enjoy this semesters results, talk to the makers and have fun. Hopefully it will be the last digital MediaNight for this century.