Project Details

Awards & Nominations

Rocks n Stars has received the following awards and nominations. Way to go!

Local Peoples' Choice Winner

The Challenge | Rising Water

Sea levels are rising around the world, and approximately 40% of the human population lives in coastal zones. Your challenge is to help communicate the impacts of rising oceans by creating a visualization tool that illustrates the changes caused by rising sea levels in your region.

PROTOTYPE OF A MOBILE APPLICATION WITH AUGMENTED REALITY FOR THE AWARENESS OF THE ACCELERATED GROWTH OF THE SEA LEVEL THROUGH ANIMATED INTERACTION

This project implements an application through the Vuforia augmented reality software and its link to the Unity video game environment, so that the user visualizes and detects a series of different targets.

Rocks n Stars

1 Introduction

Although the rudimentary method of education of society has been through information provided in books and notes, since the 1990s [1] new tools attached to the growth of technology have been implemented , a clear example is the reality augmented, a method that combines real world with a virtual world mediates a computer process , enriching a visual and psychological experience. This is based on three main principles: a) Rendering Techniques real - time graphics b) Computer fast processing c) Tracking portable precision [2], that permit in one interaction directly between the computer and the view world that the user has. Currently, the reality augmented by his experience with the user can be coupled to one of the rest proposed by NASA in the NASA SPACE CHALLENGE 2019 called rising toilet, a challenge proposed by the visualization of the worrying growth of water evidenced by 7 cm since 1993 [3] . Due to the above and listening to the warning of the N ASA about the alarming increase in sea level on land, and its urgency to communicate it, a mobile application with augmented reality called Rotten Reality is proposed to raise awareness of accelerated level growth from the sea through lively interaction with transgressive themes. It's application may generate a user experience where when detecting special figures created 3D printer symbolizing global concern about the growth of sea levels, the user will see different animations that seek to generate a psychological impact on the user and as í start a construction of change of social methodologies and cultural activities for the sake of global climate change.

The plan to sensitize mankind on this problem will be made with a visual tool accessible via a mobile application that interacts with augmented reality as shown in Figure 1 due to the interaction of the following TOOLS to:

  • Vuforia: Augmented reality development kit (SDK) for mobile devices that allows the creation of augmented reality applications [4].
  • Unity: Motor cross - platform video game created by Unity Technologies capable of sharing with Blender , 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage, Mode, ZBrush , Cinema 4D, Cheetah3D, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Fireworks and Allegorithmic Substance [5] .

2 Approach the problem

At present, the use of technologies and applications focused on learning is constantly increasing [6]; These have facilitated and energized activities of different research fields , generating a digital revolution in our environment. For the proposed project , augmented reality technology is used to recreate situations in which people, mainly directly or indirectly responsible for global warming and the melting of the poles , the main cause of sea level rise, will have the opportunity to experience the current and possibly irreversible consequences of rising oceans and all aspects of climate change .

2.1 Problem definition

Are emerging technologies currently used as a means to raise awareness of the inhabitants of planet earth about the effect of climate change and the excessive growth of seawater levels ?

2.3 Justification

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) warn by means of different maps and documents, the alarming increase in sea level on earth [7] [8] . The interactions of satellites measured in missions such as Jason-2 / OSTM have detected that on average the sea level has risen 7 cm since 1993 [9] and suggests that the Greenland melt grew 0.09 millimeters per year between 1992 and 2001 , expressed as the equivalent of the global sea level rise, at 0.59 millimeters per year between 2002 and 201 1 [10] .

Based on the previous studies, the interactive visualization of these figures to society in general is an international urgency through a novel method that can generate an ecosystem of awareness of environmental care and interconnected environmental care methodologies are implemented .

Thus, it is appropriate to make a mobile application where the user to detect different targets, can through virtual reality engines interact with messages that teach transgressors rising water level and generate impact or psychological to the user.

In conclusion with the present work it is intended to make a contribution to the scientific and academic community in the area of mobile application development through Vuforia Engine Unity extension version 8.3.8 , object detection, 3D printing; and generate a social product that impacts citizens and captures a message to build a new and better planet.


Objectives

3.1 General objective

Communicate via a mobile application augmented reality impacts and growth changes in level of water in the sea.

3.2 Specific objectives

  • Creation of a mobile application with Vuforia Engine Unity that manages to generate 3D animations through sensing objects that sensitize the community in general about the considerable increase in sea water level.
  • Implement a cooperative methodology that generates through an interactive practice a social movement to care for the environment and thus prevent the growth of the sea water level.

3.3 Reach

The expected methodological and theoretical scopes of this work are listed below:

  • Create model detection images in augmented reality with V Uforia : are different figures create 3D printing modeled AutoCad that are detected by the engine virtual reality activating different parameters.
  • Implementation of messages, figures and animations with Unity : Through the 3D design of Unity, landscapes, messages and interactions are designed where the user transgressively observes in the real environment the impact of sea level growth with virtual elements.
  • Cooperative work methodology to create an environment care ecosystem : It will be generated through the creation of events within the application and the generation of benefits such as rewards and others, that the user is interested in detecting more objectives, cleaning trash or traveling the world to find the targets and thus learning about the true effects of climate change and ways to take action.

4 Methodology

The system for the development of a mobile application with virtual reality visualized in Figure 2 shows the process in which through the detection of a target trained by Vuforia and the interaction with a graphic system such as Unity, a composite video is made where the real world joins a virtual world that will generate a composite video that provides a message of sea level rise.

Rotten Reality is an application that by means of an interaction between the real world, the detection of an object and artificial objects added through a graphic system, will provide a full learning experience to the user, where his first interest is to give the message of the environmental care knowing the effects of excessive growth of sea level.

For the construction of the application, the project is divided into 3 main parts:

4.1 Construction of prototypethat will serve as a target:

As an initial prototype of the target, the use of a 3d model manufactured by Grumpy Robot is proposed , which promotes environmental awareness through 3d designs. For the realization of this model, the use of 3D printing technologies is proposed in conjunction with Reptier Host software ; This software is responsible for converting 3D models into G- Code lines (G code), which are assimilated by a 3D printer and thus brought to reality. This time we worked with a PRUSA I3 REPRAP printer, which is one of the most recognized today for being value for money.

Figure 3. 3D model manufactured by Grumpy Robot

The development of targets through 3D technology greatly facilitates its production, and provides an unlimited possibility of three-dimensional models that can be recognized by the application.

4.2 Detection the object or objective through Vuforia:

For application development plan will eo the use of augmented reality through d developed by Unity Technologies, together with Vuforia ENGINE, developed by PTC software UNITY.

Initially, the recognition of physical objects is sought through the camera of a mobile device, for this purpose the use of VUFORIA ENGINE is proposed, a tool that facilitates the implementation of AR technology in the UNITY platform.

Initially we proceed to enter the 3D model of our initial prototype in VUFORIA ENGINE, and proceed to extract the target that will be recognized from the application.


For this, the 3D model in STL format that was previously printed is used and a target based on a flat side view of the object is obtained. This target will be the object that the application will seek to identify through the use of the camera and AR technology. Once a Target model is obtained, it is placed on a new plane in UNITY, where the interactions will be made once the target is detected


4.3 Creating the animated environment that is displayed with targetdetection

Once the target has been detected, different messages, animations and interactions with the user will be implemented through the creation of a Unity 3D model.

For the beta phase of Rotten Reality, when detecting the model, the application will show a real world affected by an artificial flood that will make visible the true effect of sea level growth along with messages and figures provided by NASA.


5 Evaluation of external and internal external factors

Building sustainability of the proposal s and creates a matrix to identify internal and external factors of the creation of the project. For this evaluate the strengths of both equipment and the application and weaknesses that the same may have. In addition it evaluates the project and externally identifying the different opportunities and threats there may be, in order to develop strategies that promote the purposes of the application and accessible for everyone.