Collaborative Augmented Reality Research Articles

ORB-SLAM for Collaborative Augmented Reality

ORB-SLAM for Collaborative Augmented Reality

KIJANI: Designing a Physical Activity Promoting Collaborative Augmented Reality Game.

There is an increased need for physical activity among children and adolescents. KIJANI, a mobile augmented reality game, is designed to increase physical activity through gamified exercises. The primary aim of this study is to get feedback on the design and implementation of potentially physical activity-increasing features in KIJANI. A mixed-method study (n=13) evaluates newly implemented game design features quantitatively through measuring physical activity and qualitatively through participant feedback. Preliminary results are limited and need further studies. Participants' feedback shows a positive trend and highlights the game's potential effectiveness. KIJANI shows potential for increasing physical activity among children and adolescents through gamified exercise. Future work will refine the game based on user feedback and findings presented in related work. The game's long-term impact is to be explored.

Collaborative Augmented Reality: A Proposed Technology Acceptance Model

A collaborative augmented reality (CAR) system allows multiple users to communicate with each other in a shared 3D environment. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a well-known method for predicting user acceptance of new technology, it also has the two strongest dimensions of acceptance: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. However, it can be further developed with external dimensions to investigate acceptance more comprehensively for the CAR system, with its 3D characteristics and collaborative ability, requires additional dimensions for measurement. This study aims to analyze and identify a suitable external dimension to be incorporated in TAM for CAR. We acquired the previous using the Web of Science database, which included keywords such as 'augmented reality,' 'virtual reality,' and 'technology acceptance model.' We analyzed eighteen high quality papers from a pool of ninety-seven papers, including journals and conferences. Resultantly, thirty-two external dimensions have been identified from previous TAM studies. After thorough analysis, a foundation TAM for the CAR system is proposed, along with suggestions for external dimensions for different CAR domain applications. The developed TAM includes perceived enjoyment, aesthetic quality, system quality, social presence, satisfaction, information quality, interactivity, collaboration quality and embodiment quality in the CAR context. Other factors, such as social norms, mobility, and others, are applicable to different CAR domain applications. The identified acceptance factors will assist researchers in enhancing their collaborative experience and conducting further analysis in the field of CAR.

An Edge Cloud Based Coordination Platform for Multi-user AR Applications

Augmented Reality (AR) applications can reshape our society enabling novel ways of interactions and immersive experiences in many fields. However, multi-user and collaborative AR applications pose several challenges. The expected user experience requires accurate position and orientation information for each device and precise synchronization of the respective coordinate systems in real-time. Unlike mobile phones or AR glasses running on battery with constrained resource capacity, cloud and edge platforms can provide the computing power for the core functions under the hood. In this paper, we propose a novel edge cloud based platform for multi-user AR applications realizing an essential coordination service among the users. The latency critical, computation intensive Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) function is offloaded from the device to the edge cloud infrastructure. Our solution is built on open-source SLAM libraries and the Robot Operating System (ROS). Our contribution is threefold. First, we propose an extensible, edge cloud based AR architecture. Second, we develop a proof-of-concept prototype supporting multiple devices and building on an AI-based SLAM selection component. Third, a dedicated measurement methodology is described, including energy consumption aspects as well, and the overall performance of the system is evaluated via real experiments.

A collaborative AR application for education: from architecture design to user evaluation

Augmented reality applications can be used in an educational context to facilitate learning. In particular, augmented reality has been successfully used as a tool to boost students’ engagement and to improve their understanding of complex topics. Despite this, augmented reality usage is still not common in schools and it still offers mostly individual experiences, lacking collaboration capabilities which are of paramount importance in a learning environment. This work presents an application called ARoundTheWorld, a multiplatform augmented reality application for education. It is based on a software architecture, designed with the help of secondary school teachers, that provides interoperability, multi-user support, integration with learning management systems and data analytics capabilities, thus simplifying the development of collaborative augmented reality learning experiences. The application has been tested by 44 students and 3 teachers from 3 different educational institutions to evaluate the usability as well as the impact of collaboration functionalities in the students’ engagement. Qualitative and quantitative results show that the application fulfils all the design objectives identified by teachers as key elements for augmented reality educational applications. Furthermore, the application was positively evaluated by the students and it succeeded in promoting collaborative behaviour. These results show that ARoundTheWorld, and other applications built using the same architecture, could be easily developed and successfully integrated into existing schools curricula.

PEDAGOGICAL ANALYSIS OF AUGMENTED REALITYIN THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT DURING STUDYING PHYSICS

The article describes an augmented reality collaborative physics study called PhysicsARLab. The augmented reality lab is hosted by a teacher, and pupils can join the lab using their mobile phones. All participants can interact with the augmented reality lab, and their actions can be observed in real-time by both the teacher and fellow pupils. To evaluate the proposed system, a user study involving 60 participants (30 female and 30 male) was conducted. The participants were ninth grade and tenth grade high school pupils, ranging from 15 to 17 years of age, with an equal distribution across the two academic groups. The study designed a combination of direct and indirect observations, along with multiple surveys, to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The data analysis considered various perspectives, including the system's usability, the effectiveness of its collaboration functionality, and its impact on PhysicsARLab. The research findings provide insights into the usability and impact of the collaborative augmented reality PhysicsARLab environment. The results are showed on the system's effectiveness in promoting collaboration, its usability for conducting experiments, and its potential benefits for PhysicsARLab.

Workspace Guardian: Investigating Awareness of Personal Workspace Between Co-Located Augmented Reality Users.

As augmented reality (AR) systems proliferate and the technology gets smaller and less intrusive, we imagine a future where many AR users will interact in the same physical locations (e.g., in shared work places and public spaces). While previous research has explored AR collaboration in these spaces, our focus is on co-located but independent work. In this paper, we explore co-located AR user behavior and investigate techniques for promoting awareness of personal workspace boundaries. Specifically, we compare three techniques: showing all virtual content, visualizing bounding box outlines of content, and a self-defined workspace boundary. The findings suggest that a self-defined boundary led to significantly more personal workspace encroachments.

Technology Acceptance of Wearable Collaborative Augmented Reality for Mathematics Education in A Junior High School

The Wearable Collaborative Augmented Reality (WcAR) represents a state-of-the-art advancement in computer technology, exhibiting diverse applications across various domains. Despite the increasing recognition of WcAR as an emerging educational technology, there exists a compelling need for further research, particularly in the context of mathematics education at the junior high school level. This research focuses on examining learners' acceptance of technology concerning Wearable Collaborative Augmented Reality (WcAR). The study utilizes data collected through questionnaires distributed after learners have interacted with the Hololens 2 device. To rigorously evaluate the proposed relationships, this investigation employs the methodology of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings of the study reveal a statistically significant positive correlation between three extension structures—Interaction, Imagination, and Innovation—and the constructs of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), namely Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use. Consequently, these results offer empirical support for the assertion that Wearable Collaborative Augmented Reality (WcAR) technology has the potential to be an effective tool for enhancing junior high school mathematics instruction. This empirical validation establishes a crucial theoretical foundation for subsequent empirical research endeavors in this domain. Furthermore, the study also discovers that WcAR technology can cultivate students' spatial understanding, providing valuable practical insights for the field of mathematics education.

Technology acceptance of a wearable collaborative augmented reality system in learning chemistry among junior high school students

Technology acceptance of a wearable collaborative augmented reality system in learning chemistry among junior high school students

Reality and Beyond: Proxemics as a Lens for Designing Handheld Collaborative Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) has shown great potential for supporting co-located collaboration. Yet, it is rarely articulated in the design rationales of AR systems that they promote a certain socio-spatial configuration of the users. Learning from proxemics, we argue that such configurations enable and constrain different co-located spatial behaviors with consequences for collaborative activities. We focus specifically on enabling different collaboration styles via the design of Handheld Collaborative Augmented Reality (HCAR) systems. Drawing upon notions of proxemics, we show how different HCAR designs enable different socio-spatial configurations. Through a design exploration, we demonstrate interaction techniques to expand on the notion of collaborative coupling styles by either deliberately designing for aligning with physical reality or going beyond. The main contributions are a proxemics-based conceptual lens and vocabulary for supporting interaction designers in being mindful of the proxemic consequences when developing handheld multi-user AR systems.

Remote Augmented Reality Application: A Study on Cues and Behavioural Dimension

Remote augmented reality (AR) collaboration promotes an interactive way to present information to the user by conveying a message and instruction to the local and remote participants. Despite its advantages, it is found that due to the limited use of sensory modalities during the remote collaboration process, it can interrupt the transmission of information and interaction cues, by not conveying the right information in remote AR collaboration in which can affect focus, and responses between local and remote users. This study is intended to investigate the behavioural dimension of collaboration (collaborator’s behaviour) and cues involved between local and remote user for physical task. Six participants performed as local participants where they need to build a LEGO, while another 6 participants performed as remote participants that have a complete manual instruction. Participants were given maximum 60 minutes to complete the given task. The results shown that most of the time participants used gesture and speech cues to interact with each other. There are certain signals and keywords established by both participants to have mutual understanding in achieving desired goal. Moreover, it was shown that the task completed by using handsfree produce faster response.

Collaborative Augmented Reality in Higher Education Settings – Strategies, Learning Outcomes and Challenges

Augmented reality (AR) has the potential to enhance the learning experience of students by providing collaborative, interactive, and immersive environments. This paper reports a systematic literature review focused on examining the research studies on the use of AR in higher education from January 2018 to October 2022, specifically in the context of collaborative learning. The initial search resulted in a total of 2537 studies, of which 20 were analyzed for final review. The main findings suggest that learning using AR-enabled collaborative learning benefits students’ overall knowledge gain, improves task performance, reduces task errors, and provides a positive collaboration experience in higher education settings. This article concludes by discussing the implications of these findings and their use as guidelines by educators, designers, and researchers for developing effective collaborative AR learning content.

How to Evaluate If Collaborative Augmented Reality Speaks to Its Users.

Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly considered to support scenarios of co-located and remote collaboration. Thus far, the core goal has been advancing the supporting technologies and assessing how they perform to inform design and development, thus providing support toward their maturity. Nevertheless, while understanding the performance and impact of supporting technology is indisputable groundwork, we argue that the field needs to adopt a framework that moves from answering questions about the proposed methods and technologies to a more holistic view, also encompassing collaboration. However, moving toward this goal challenges how evaluations are designed, adding complexity and raising several questions about what needs to be considered. In this article, we briefly examine the different dimensions entailed in collaborative AR and argue in favor of a distinctive evaluation framework that goes beyond current practice and sets its eyes on the elements that allow judging how collaboration unfolds while informing the role of the supporting technology.

Head-mounted augmented reality to support reassurance and social interaction for autistic children with severe learning disabilities

Augmented Reality (AR) is promising to complement autism approaches, but so far has mainly focused on training socio-emotional abilities for autistic children with mild learning disabilities. To better consider autistic children with severe learning disabilities and complex needs (SLN), stakeholders advise using collaborative AR sensory-based mediation approaches. Magic Bubbles is a multisensory AR environment created based on stakeholders’ interviews, then adapted for a day hospital setting in collaboration with practitioners, and finally validated in terms of acceptability and usability for autistic children with SLN. In this paper, we report on our latest study that explores three main research questions: 1) To what extent can Magic Bubbles secure autistic children with SLN? 2) To what extent can Magic Bubbles prompt the dyadic relationship between an autistic child with SLN and a practitioner? 3) What is the overall quality of experience for autistic children with SLN when using Magic Bubbles? To answer these questions, seven autistic children with SLN participated in at least six weekly sessions over three months in a day hospital setting. Data collection and analysis used qualitative and quantitative methods, mainly drawing upon grounded theory to evaluate their experiences. Findings validate the three research questions, offer a detailed account of children’s experiences with AR, and outline future directions.

Impact and analysis of a collaborative augmented reality educational environment

Impact and analysis of a collaborative augmented reality educational environment

In-Depth Review of Augmented Reality: Tracking Technologies, Development Tools, AR Displays, Collaborative AR, and Security Concerns.

Augmented reality (AR) has gained enormous popularity and acceptance in the past few years. AR is indeed a combination of different immersive experiences and solutions that serve as integrated components to assemble and accelerate the augmented reality phenomena as a workable and marvelous adaptive solution for many realms. These solutions of AR include tracking as a means for keeping track of the point of reference to make virtual objects visible in a real scene. Similarly, display technologies combine the virtual and real world with the user's eye. Authoring tools provide platforms to develop AR applications by providing access to low-level libraries. The libraries can thereafter interact with the hardware of tracking sensors, cameras, and other technologies. In addition to this, advances in distributed computing and collaborative augmented reality also need stable solutions. The various participants can collaborate in an AR setting. The authors of this research have explored many solutions in this regard and present a comprehensive review to aid in doing research and improving different business transformations. However, during the course of this study, we identified that there is a lack of security solutions in various areas of collaborative AR (CAR), specifically in the area of distributed trust management in CAR. This research study also proposed a trusted CAR architecture with a use-case of tourism that can be used as a model for researchers with an interest in making secure AR-based remote communication sessions.

Leveraging a collaborative augmented reality serious game to promote sustainability awareness, commitment and adaptive problem-management

The sustainable development of our global world requires innovative educational approaches to foster people’s ability to pursue common goals under ever-changing and uncontrollable environmental conditions. Serious games can meet this need by engaging learners in collective problem-solving activities that mimic real-world sustainability problems and scenarios. This paper presents the design and evaluation of Sustain, a collaborative and co-located multiplayer sustainability serious game. Sustain is an Augmented Reality based urban development game that aims to promote player awareness and commitment to sustainability problems and enhance players’ ability to address these problems through collaborative and adaptive problem management approaches. Sustain was developed based on nine key game features that implement principles of serious game design tailored for sustainability. The evaluation of the game leveraged a multimodal approach that included in-game analytics, questionnaires, and observational data from ninety-nine participants and aimed to assess learning outcomes and identify relationships between game features and effects achieved. Results suggest that Sustain was effective in changing players’ awareness of and commitment towards sustainability issues. Team adaptive behaviours and increasing collaborative interactions were observed during the game, even during phases that did not require close collaboration, which is altogether suggestive of increased collaborative and adaptive problem-management capabilities. These findings suggest that the development of sustainability serious games based on design principles and features similar to those implemented in Sustain can lead to impacts crucial for sustainability education.

A Conceptual Model and Taxonomy for Collaborative Augmented Reality.

To support the nuances of collaborative work, many researchers have been exploring the field of Augmented Reality (AR), aiming to assist in co-located or remote scenarios. Solutions using AR allow taking advantage from seamless integration of virtual objects and real-world objects, thus providing collaborators with a shared understanding or common ground environment. However, most of the research efforts, so far, have been devoted to experiment with technology and mature methods to support its design and development. Therefore, it is now time to understand where the field stands and how well can it address collaborative work with AR, to better characterize and evaluate the collaboration process. In this article, we perform an analysis of the different dimensions that should be taken into account when analysing the contributions of AR to the collaborative work effort. Then, we bring these dimensions forward into a conceptual framework and propose an extended human-centered taxonomy for the categorization of the main features of Collaborative AR. Our goal is to foster harmonization of perspectives for the field, which may help create a common ground for systematization and discussion. We hope to influence and improve how research in this field is reported by providing a structured list of the defining characteristics. Finally, some examples of the use of the taxonomy are presented to show how it can serve to gather information for characterizing AR-supported collaborative work, and illustrate its potential as the grounds to elicit further studies.

CAR-Tourist: An Integrity-Preserved Collaborative Augmented Reality Framework-Tourism as a Use-Case

The unprecedented growth in Augmented Reality (AR) has captured the focus of researchers and the industrial sector. The development of AR applications and their implementation in various domains is broadening. One of the advancements in the field of AR is Collaborative AR, which provides ample opportunities for the members of a team to work on a particular project remotely. The various activities carried out remotely, in a collaborative fashion, are based on the active interaction and transmission of data and applications across a communication channel that constitutes a mesh of frequently interacting applications, thus providing a real feeling of working together physically in the purportedly same demographic area. However, in the integration of different roles, remotely working in collaborative AR has a great chance of being intruded upon and manipulated. Consequently, the intrusion may explore novel vulnerabilities to various sensitive collaborative projects. One of the security concerns for collaborative and interconnected remote applications is to have pristine environments, where the participants of the collaborative AR can reliably trust each other during the execution of the various processes. This paper presents an integrity-aware CAR-Tourist (Collaborative Augmented reality for Tourism) framework wherein the unauthorized user’s access is denied and the remote participants of the network are provided with a secure environment through the state-of-the-art Blockchain architecture. This study further provides a use-case implementation of a tourism application. Each tourist has the chance to hire a remote guide for collaborative guidance over a blockchain-trusted network. Moreover, the proposed framework is lightweight, as the only necessary communication between the tourist and guide is recorded in the blockchain network. Each user has to register on a permission blockchain to be allowed to perform certain activities on our proposed CAR-Tourist framework. The decentralized Blockchain approach provides a consensus mechanism based on which not every participant is free to intrude on ongoing communication. Thus, through the proposed framework, all the participants in the collaborative Augmented Reality will have the essential trust of working remotely without external intrusion.

Cloud-based cross-platform collaborative augmented reality in flutter

Augmented Reality (AR) as a technology in the business area is utilized in new frontiers such as collaborative real-time experiences and cloud-based solutions. However, there is still a strong tendency towards game engines, which hinders widespread adoption for businesses. We present a collaborative AR framework (Flutter plugin) aimed at lowering the entry barriers and operating expenses of AR applications. A cross-platform and cloud-based solution combined with a web-based content management system (cloud) is a powerful tool for non-technical staff to take over operational tasks such as providing 3D models or moderating community annotations. To achieve cross-platform support, the AR Flutter plugin builds upon ARCore (Android) and ARKit (iOS) and unifies the two frameworks using an abstraction layer written in Dart. In this extensive description we present an in-depth summary of the concepts to realize the framework and prove its performance being on the same level as the native AR frameworks. This includes application-level metrics like CPU and RAM consumption and tracking-level qualities such as keyframes per second used by the underlying SLAM algorithm, detected feature points, and area of tracked planes. Our contribution closes a gap in today’s technological landscape by providing an AR framework with the familiar development process of cross-platform apps. Building upon on a content management system (cloud) and AR can be a game changer to achieve business objectives, while being not restrained to stand-alone single-purpose apps. This will trigger a potential paradigm shift for previously complex-to-realize applications relying on AR, e.g., in production and planning. The AR Flutter plugin is fully open-source, the code can be found at: https://github.com/CariusLars/ar_flutter_plugin.