2023–24 Projects:
The idea behind augmented reality (AR) is simple: via some sort of special glasses or other viewing system, the AR system overlays information on your normal visual field. For example, I might walk out the CMC front door, turn to the left, and see a see a little translucent text saying "Goodsell Observatory" floating in the air over Goodsell. This sort of system has long been a staple of some variants of science fiction in movies, video games, and novels, but has only in the last few years shown up in commercial products.
Augmented reality (AR) has become a big deal since I first supervised a comps project on the subject. Such a big deal, in fact, that according to the 2015 Gartner, Inc. Hype Cycle report, it has already reached the Trough of Disillusionment. (Anybody who ever considered wearing a Google Glass in public but then rejected the idea due to having a well-developed sense of social shame may understand why.)
The benefits of AR are still tantalizing, so as the Hype Cycle moves towards the Slope of Englightment, there's room for revisiting the technology. With that in mind, this project will focus on the creation of an AR library that could be used by iOS or Android developers to create mobile-device augmented reality applications.
The main activities in this project will be:
The range of possible library features is large, but might include:
At least half of this project's team will need to have taken Linear Algebra.