Inspiration
We were inspired by the globally significant plant genetics research being done at Hudson Alpha institute and in particular by Dr. Alex Harkess passionate presentation on Friday evening and his tour of the institute's state of the art greenhouse. We did not realize the critical importance of the research on issues such as food security and climate change. We want our ARboretum App to help highlight the importance of this research by making it accessible to visitors to botanical gardens, arboretums, and university and non-profit institute greenhouses.
What it does
Whether you're a student studying botany, a teacher looking for an interactive teaching tool, or simply someone who is curious about the world of plants, our app has something for you. With just a few taps you can use your phone camera to transport yourself to a world of 3D learning. This technology allows you to see the models from every angle, zoom in and out, and even interact with them in real time.
How we built it
The AR portion of this app was built with AR.js and .glb files. The files serve as 3D models in the GL Transmission Format (glTF) and are used to display virtual objects within the AR scenes. The GUI is designed with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The website is deployed using Github Pages.
Challenges we ran into
Our biggest challenge was obtaining and/or creating 3D models used for the Augmented Reality components. Most of the best models require payment. To get around this we even tried using the iPhone Polycam app to scan real flowers but had trouble with that method. Ultimately we found some reasonable models on cgtrader.com
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We were able to quickly identify a powerful library AR.js that accelerated our development efforts. We also decided not to use a native mobile app development and were able to come up with a responsive web design that allows our mobile app to work on iOS and Android devices with any size screen. As a bonus, we created a website to market the ARboretum app and allow visitors to try it out.
What we learned
Augmented Reality is a very powerful, almost magical technology and can be implemented in a short time during a hackathon if you are patient enough to overcome the challenges of working with the 3D models.
What's next for ARboretum
We want to add in features for accessibility including for the hearing and visually impaired. We also want to leverage the CMS to support multiple languages for visitors that don't speak English. We want to add wayfinding functionality as well that will use GPS (outdoor gardens) and indoor beacons to guide visitors to items of interest.
Built With
- css3
- githubpages
- html5
- javascript
- vr.js
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