- To investigates either (option 1) the ways in which the real world can be augmented with different forms of digital information or (option 2) the ways in which an interactive sound environment can be designed, constricted and implemented.
Therefore I have done some research into both sections in order to decide which brief I would rather take on. Firstly there is the AR brief as previously explained. After my previous post I decided I needed to find out what AR has been used for previously and so did some research. In general I found that the most popular uses of AR are in branding and commercial areas in which it can be used to advertise products and engage potential customers. For example AR has been used quite often in recent years to allow consumers to investigate a new brand of car up close without the need for the physical car to be there. This is demonstrated in the video below:
This is a very useful concept as the use of AR extends the information the user can obtain about the car in terms of shape and look due to its use of 3D and the ability to manipulate the model. Also AR has quite a strong relationship with gaming such as through AR trading cards, and AR game components. It is often used to make games more interactive as players are required to use and move the AR picture boards to play the game.
My favourite use of AR that I have found so far though is that of the USPS Priority Mail Simulator. This AR tool allows users to work out what size of box is required for any package they are trying to send. They are able to use the AR to compare the package simply and easily with the size of the box which makes this use of AR very functional. It is this functionality and purpose, along with the uniqueness of the concept, that makes me particularly interested in this AR tool. The video below is a demonstration of this tool:
As well as AR there is also the interactive sound environment brief. This is a much less explored area than that of AR but there are also a number of interesting examples that have been carried out in relation to this topic. The first of these that interested me was the Map1 sound installation by Garth Paine. This environment allows people to walk around a space in which the sound is relevant to them and their position within the space. Sensors are used to get values such as weight and direction which is then converted into sound. As well as this the location of the source of the sound is manipulated to match with the users location within the installation. (http://www.activatedspace.com/Installations/Map1/map1.html) Similarly the work of David Strang who we will be working with on this project is based around interactive sound installation. His work includes sonic representations such as Resonate Space Q121 and structural recording installations such as Building Systems.(http://www.davidstrang.co.uk/buildingsystems.html)
Another version of interactive sound installation is that similar to the work of Goudeseune and Kaczmarski. This work involves the use of GPS to locate a sound at a particular location which then can be found using the right hardware and software. The sound can only be heard if at the correct location meaning that you can provide the user with aural information very specific to the location they are at. Such experimentations with sound also include sound mapping and sound walks that use sound to provide a representation of the environment and the changes within it. (http://zx81.isl.uiuc.edu/camilleg/icmc01.pdf)
Both of these areas would be interesting to explore. The knowledge I currently have would be more applicable to creating an AR project, but the sound installation is a lot more explorative and with the help of David Strang it would be possible to expand my knowledge to suit this brief also. I feel that I would enjoy working with augmented reality more and so will follow this brief for my project.
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