Situated Simulations
Designing a Mobile Augmented Reality Genre
Project leader: prof. Gunnar Liestøl
The INVENTIO-project, Dept. of Media & Communication, University of Oslo
Background
A situated simulation requires a broadband (3G) smartphone with substantial graphics capabilities, GPS-positioning features, accelerometer and electronic compass. In a situated simulation there is approximate identity between the users visual perception of the real physical environment and the users visual perspective into a 3D graphics environment as it is represented on the screen. The relative congruity between the real and the virtual is obtained by letting the camera position and movement in the 3D environment be determined by the positioning and orientation hardware. As the user moves in real space the perspective inside the virtual space changes accordingly.
A situated simulation is closely related to mixed and augmented reality. While mixed reality, including mobile augmented reality (MAR) is characterized by different combinations of virtual and real representations along the reality-virtuality continuum, a situated simulation is a 'clean screen' solution where there is a distinct (although minor) difference between the virtual perspective via the device and the real perspective of the user. Current versions of the system runs on Apple's iPhone 3GS (other platforms are under consideration).
The project is developed in close collaboration with Tomas Stenarson at Memention AB. The research is funded by the VERDIKT-programme, Norwegian Research Council, EngageLab at Intermedia, University of Oslo and the Dept. of Media & Communication, University of Oslo.
Publications
'Situated Simulations: A Prorotyped Augmented Reality Genre for Learning on the iPhone' in International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), Vol 3 (2009) - Open access.
'Augmented Reality and Digital Genre Design - Situated Simulations on the iPhone' in Proceedings of ISMAR 2009 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality - Arts, Media and Humanities. 19-22 Oct. 2009, pp 29-34.
Video
A video demonstration of the application is available on YouTube.
Presentations
The project has so far been presented at the following conferences: IMCL 2009, EISTA 2009, ISMAR 2009, ICCE 2009.