Object Based Information
What if we could view information about an object in real time, in the physical space? This project explored the way in which AR/MR technology could be used to display the cultural and personal value that a physical object could show us.
Details
2018
Type
Design Concept
Rapid Prototyping
Tools
Unity
After Effects
Curiosity
What if we can see the thoughts, memories, and value around objects?
How can we unlock pockets of information that help us understand the value of an object, the stories that it can tell, and possibly the personal value that has been imbued with it?
Outline
What Kind of Information?
Technical Information
General information about the manufacturing and sales of the object, including pricing, material, wholesaler, and retailers. This information could help provide ways to further engage with the object.
Cultural Information
Streaming live information from social networking platforms that display the cultural context of the object. It could use content-based image retrieval or concept-based image indexing to display related text, images, or videos.
Personal Information
Personal data streams, such as text messages and photos galleries are searched to extract related content. These contents are then displayed to show the personal relationship that the user might have with the object.
Sketch
Exploring data visualization
The key was to design ways in which information about the rickshaw could show up around the physical artifact. I went through several iterations of data representation, carefully avoiding information overload and keeping in mind that the experience was meant to help us see the physical objects as "pockets" of information.
Prototyping
Rapid prototyping in Unity
I used ARKit 2.0 to scan a small souvenir I picked up from my time in India to and set it as a target object in Unity for the AR experience prototype. I used Twitter and Instagram APIs to display real-time tweets and images with #rickshaw. Seeing the content automatically update around the object helped bring the rickshaw alive. Below is a short video documenting the AR in action:
Setting up Unity prototype
Floating text display experiments
Text display anchored to the floor
Final documentation of working prototype
Exploring Interactions
I also outlined some gestures and UI's that would be simple yet intuitive for the experience. Below are some quick sketches that were made in After Effects.
Tap to activate, slide to expand pocket of real-time cultural information
Select and slide out of grid to expand
Swipe to minimize
Use slider to close pocket
Final Thoughts
When we consider AR/MR technology as portals that allow us to recover digital information, we can reconsider the face value that physical objects in our surroundings can provide. These portals can help us unlock the latent potential that objects have to carry information. The challenge is to design contextually appropriate information retrieval systems that seamlessly blend with our physical world.
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