Augmented Reality Sandbox, Poster 3

The "Augmented Reality Sandbox" (ARS) is a 3D visualization and hands-on tool designed for teaching and outreach in geology, geography, and hydrology. Recently developed by research scientists at UC Davis, the system utilizes... [ view full abstract ]

The "Augmented Reality Sandbox" (ARS) is a 3D visualization and hands-on tool designed for teaching and outreach in geology, geography, and hydrology. Recently developed by research scientists at UC Davis, the system utilizes a real sandbox onto which virtual topography (a colored topographic shade map), water, or geology is projected and updated in real-time as users move the sand within the box. For my independent study this past fall, I worked with Prof. Kristina Walowski, Prof. Daniel Scharstein, and Tony Desautels to construct and implement a mobile ARS system for Middlebury College, funded through the “Fund for Innovation” initiative. This system can be used to simulate a wide range of Earth’s surficial features and processes, and puts kilometer-scale and thousand-year-timescale processes into perspective. To date, it has been successfully installed and utilized at a number of Universities and museums across the globe, and our new system here at Middlebury is currently being used in Geology classes and for community outreach. At the Spring Symposium, I hope to demonstrate the ARS system for students and faculty across campus.