AUGMENTED REALITY FOR ENHANCED STUDENT INDUSTRIAL DESIGN PRESENTATIONS
Year: 2015
Editor: Guy Bingham, Darren Southee, John McCardle, Ahmed Kovacevic, Erik Bohemia, Brian Parkinson
Author: Topal, Basak; Sener , Bahar
Series: E&PDE
Institution: 1Middle East Technical University, Turkey, 2University of Liverpool, UK
Section: Technology and Knowledge Transfer
Page(s): 644-649
ISBN: 978-1-904670-62-9
Abstract
Augmented reality (AR) has developed rapidly in recent years, causing the technology to move out of
the preserve of large budgets and significant infrastructure, into an accessible and affordable
visualization tool capable of running on a smart phone. However, the usage of this technology for
superimposing digital content such as 3D models and images onto the real world, has not been
sufficiently explored in industrial and engineering design for presentation purposes. Even though
designers have access to various tools and methods for presenting design projects, some of which are
digital, intended user experiences or product specifications are sometimes not conveyed satisfactorily.
This paper explores the potential of AR technologies to enable designers to enhance their 2D
presentation boards and 3D physical mock-ups with an additional layer of digital information. The
study was carried out in an educational context through a design project (bedside alarm clock) with
eight postgraduate students. Students were exposed to three project parts: 1) AR presentation and
software demonstrations; 2) concept design and creation of AR content; and 3) evaluation of utilized
AR software. Digitally-created design content was successfully presented interchangeably and
overlapping in real-time with physical media. The experience was variously described as presentation
boards and mock-ups ‘coming to life’ with augmented content including text, images, animations,
video and sound. The latter was found especially valuable for properly conveying the audible design
intent for the alarm clock projects. The paper concludes on how AR technologies can support
industrial design presentations and some suggestions for technological developments
Keywords: Augmented reality, design presentations, industrial design, visualization.