Interactive augmented reality web apps to enable immersive experiences for science education worldwide at no cost

Author(s): LucianoSphere

Originally published on Towards AI.

Multimedia material helps teachers to better convey knowledge, and students to grasp concepts, in unique ways. Virtual, Augmented and Mixed realities (XR, where X=V, A, R) can potentially enhance learning experiences even more, by allowing users to handle and interact with virtual objects in their space. While “classical” XR usually requires expensive, complex-to-setup hardware and software that not even wealthy countries can afford at large, the advent of Web-based XR that runs on consumer devices like smartphones is making such experiences available everywhere, at any time, at no cost, without any specialized hardware or software, democratizing access to the latest pedagogical tools.

Various examples of augmented reality views useful for chemistry and biology education that run in the web browsers of regular devices. The technology and its reach are described in this article together with some examples. Figure by author Luciano Abriata.

Quick contents:

IntroductionWhat is so special about this web-based paradigm for XR?Commodity, web-based AR content for biology, based on ModelViewer-controlled use of WebXR on 3D models retrieved from Google searchesThe moleculARweb site: commodity, web-based AR content for chemistry, built with Three.js, A-Frame, Cannon.js, AR.js, and ModelViewerVery wide reach with minimal usage barriers and no need for specialized hardware nor software installsWhat’s the… Read the full blog for free on Medium.

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Published via Towards AI