Project 1 - Around the World

This project is developed using Unity 2021.3.6f1, and Vuforia version 10.9.3 for the AR camera tracking. Two physical paper cubes (merge cube on the left, and class cube on the right) that were printed and put together are used as targets for the AR tracking.

For this project, we are to choose two real life attractions or locations that we want, and build a 3D cube encasing the physical cubes, with a few relevant models at the top with some lighting and background audio.

To use the application, it is as simple as loading up the project files in Unity, which has Android Build Support module installed alongside Vuforia Engine added to the project, and then pressing the play button after selecting the appropriate device as the camera for tracking.

An android app can also be built after connecting an android device to your PC/laptop through USB tethering and building it through File/Build Settings after appropiate settings are selected for your device in Edit/Project Settings/Player/Other Settings.

The project files can be dowloaded here.

For my merge cube, I chose Old Bagan in the city of Bagan in Myanmar (Burma). I chose this as it is an ancient city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and also an attraction I visited quite often when I was younger as I originally am from Myanmar.

As for the models, I chose the main model with pagodas, temples, hot air balloons, etc... as it gives off the perfect general feel and vibe of Old Bagan to me, as I remember it. I also used the models for the agricultural cart, and the traditional umbrella as they are used a lot by people living around that area in the past. The sound of the temple bells also remind me of times when I would be visiting the temples and pagodas in Bagan early in the morning in the past, as the bells are usually rung as people pray in morning.

As for the traditional fan, and food carrier models I created, those are the standard "equipments" of Burmese monks, which is relevant to Old Bagan in.a way as it is a very iconic and symbolic religious city in Myanmar in additon to just being a tourist attraction.

For my class cube, I chose Eiffel Tower in the city of Paris in France. I chose this as I was just having cravings for some really nice macarons, croissants, and baguettes. Paris is also one of the cities I want to pay a visit later on.

As for the models, I chose a fairly detailed model of Eiffel Tower to represent to tower itself. I then chose the bakery and the baguette models to put beside the Eiffel Tower as they represent my cravings at the time, and also because France is now for its bakeries and good bread. I also used some nice background music that gives off a nice "Parisian" feel, something I would like to enjoy as I have my French bread.

As for the macarons, it is the same reason as my cravings, but for the beret, I just chose to create it as Paris reminds me of fashion shows, some nice avant garde clothing styles, and so on.

In the near future, I believe AR would become a lot more popular and widespread than it is now. I believe the technology itself is still in its infancy in a way despite years of research as only now, there is hardware capable of properly utilizing this technology. At the moment, the main form of AR seems to be our smartphones as all smartphones nowadays come with fairly decent cameras. As proof for that, we can see Google Translate, Google Maps Live View, Amazon “Show in room” feature, and many more smartphone apps utilizing and commercializing AR technology.

At the moment, the smartphones we are using are not specifically designed for AR, and whenever we want to use AR-related features, we have to download and open the right app, which can be quite inconvenient. In specific cases, some smartphones might not even be able to use AR properly as there are tons of smartphone models out there and there is no one or few standard devices.

However, I believe the next step in advancing AR technology will come with the rise of eye wear, or more compact head mounted displays. With these devices, these problems and limitations might be gone as it will be a device designed and developed with AR specifically in mind. The users wearing them will be able to use AR in an instant, having digital/virtual overlays in the real world objects they are seeing in an instant without having to go into specific apps and such.

When the time comes for AR headwear devices to become mainstream, I can also foresee the production of small objects used for AR tracking. Maybe there could be a wristband that could be used for tracking the time, weather, and other typical smartwatch features in the form of an AR overlay. Maybe there would be some labels made for people to wear on their bodies so that they could preview some clothing items on them as they do online shopping. Maybe there could be small cubes, just like the ones used in project 1, which could be used for tracking various things, such as viewing tourist attractions, small items when shopping, furniture layout in rooms, and so on. There are so many possibilities.

However, I still see some objects remaining physical rather than virtual as people might prefer having some sort of “tactile” feedback compared to waving around in the air. These could be objects such as keyboards, mouses, or anything that usually gives users tactile feedback. It might mainly be input devices from what I can think of for now.

In short, I believe AR technology will advance to the next step with the rise of headwear AR devices, and there are so many possibilities and ways it could develop.