Great Scot December 2019 Great Scot 158_December_ONLINE | Page 39

PICTURED BELOW:
RYAN AHL, RONAN
AHL, MR STEVE DE
DEMENICO AND
RION AHL
FROM SANDPIT TO SANDBOX – NEW
SOFTWARE WITH GREAT POTENTIAL
The Augmented Reality Sandbox, a creation of the Scotch
Robotics Club in 2019, is set to transform the way we learn.
The club meets every Wednesday lunchtime and welcomes all
boys from Years 7 to 12. Under the guidance of Mr De Domenico, we
have worked week after week over countless lunch breaks to create
the sandbox.
Using an Xbox Kinect Sensor, the height of the sand at every
point is measured and then relayed to a powerful computer, which
matches the height with the corresponding colour and contour lines.
This projects a stunning landscape onto the entire sand, complete
with contour lines. From flowing deltas to flood plains, snow-capped
mountains and deep valleys, the sandbox instantly responds to a hand
as it moves around the sand to form new landscapes with endless
possibilities. Raising a hand even causes digital rain to fall onto the
sand, simulating the flow of rainfall.
This sandbox has huge potential to enhance learning, such as
furthering our understanding of geographical landscapes, while
working with our imagination. The technology involves a hands-on
educational tool that fully illustrates the mechanics of topography and
the formations of land structures such as spurs and saddles; it can
even gauge and model risk levels in flood prone areas. As the software
is developed further, other geographical features such as volcanoes
will be added.
While each one of us has a view on what to learn, the Augmented
Reality Sandbox is set to redefine HOW we learn!
RYAN AHL – YEAR 10
Great Scot
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