Inspiration
INKlectric was inspired by a simple observation: most people begin learning electronics with sketches, not with advanced engineering software. A student draws a battery, a resistor, an LED, and a few wires on paper to understand how current flows. That early learning process is visual, physical, and intuitive, but it is also limited. Paper does not react, and traditional simulation tools often feel too abstract or too complex for first-time learners.
We wanted to build something that keeps the accessibility of sketching while adding the quality of feedback. For that, the Logitech MX Ink pen was not just a convenient input device, but a necessary part of the idea. INKlectric depends on the precision, familiarity, and immediacy of pen-based input: users need to draw naturally on a real desk, control small strokes, and feel like they are writing rather than operating a generic XR controller. The idea was to turn an ordinary desk into an educational circuit workspace where drawing, experimenting, making mistakes, and seeing consequences all happen in the same place. Mixed reality felt like the right medium for that, and MX Ink made it practical, because it keeps the interaction grounded in the real world while adding guidance, structure, and live response.
What it does
INKlectric is a mixed reality learning tool for Meta Quest 3 and Logitech MX Ink that lets users draw basic electrical circuits directly on a real desk surface.
The user first calibrates their desk as a workspace. After that, they can sketch supported components such as a battery, resistor, LED, and wires directly onto the desk using the stylus. The app recognises the sketches, one by one, offers candidate matches, and replaces the selected drawing with a clean circuit symbol. Those symbols can then be moved, edited, connected, and explored as part of a structured learning flow.
At the same time, the app generates a live 3D circuit preview on a second virtual table. This helps learners connect the symbolic 2D schematic with a more physical representation of the circuit.
The educational value comes from the simulation layer. Instead of leaving the drawing as a static diagram, INKlectric shows what happens when the circuit is correct or incorrect. A properly wired LED can light up. An incorrectly protected LED can visibly fail. This turns a sketch into an interactive lesson about polarity, current flow, and the importance of correct circuit structure.
How we built it
We built INKlectric in Unity with C# for Meta Quest 3, using Logitech MX Ink as the main input device. From the beginning, we designed it not as a generic drawing app, but as an educational workflow with a clear sequence:
calibrate > draw > recognise > replace > wire > simulate > learn
The first step was to build a stable desk-based workspace. We implemented a four-corner calibration process so the user can define a drawing area on a real table. This was important because it makes the experience feel grounded and repeatable, which is especially useful in a teaching or classroom context.
Next, we built the sketching and recognition pipeline. Instead of trying to recognise unlimited freehand circuit notation, we focused on a constrained set of core components that are meaningful in introductory electronics learning. This made it possible to create a more dependable interaction where the user draws naturally, then confirms the intended symbol through a simple candidate menu.
We then connected that drawing layer to a structured internal circuit representation. Once a symbol is confirmed, it becomes a proper interactive component with pins, parameters, and a matching 3D object. That same representation drives editing, wiring, and simulation.
We also put a lot of effort into educational clarity. We added haptic feedback to reinforce milestones such as calibration, recognition, wire completion, simulation start, burnout, and reset. We also introduced a floating instruction card that explains the current step and button mappings directly inside the experience, so learners do not need to rely on an external guide or prior familiarity with the system.
Challenges we ran into
One of the biggest challenges was balancing freedom with clarity.
As an educational tool, INKlectric needed to feel natural and creative, but it also needed to be reliable enough that learners would not lose trust in it. Freehand sketches can be messy and ambiguous, especially in mixed reality. We had to carefully constrain the supported component set and keep a confirmation step in the loop so that recognition errors would not derail the learning experience.
Another challenge was making the system understandable for first-time users. In a classroom or demo setting, a tool only works as an educational experience if people can understand what to do next without constant explanation. That meant we had to refine not only the technical features, but also the instruction flow, menu logic, feedback, and progression between modes.
We also ran into challenges with device behavior. Some interactions that worked correctly in the editor or over Meta Link did not behave the same once deployed directly to the headset. That taught us that for XR educational tools, standalone device testing is essential, because the real learner experience only emerges on the actual hardware.
Finally, we had to keep scope under control. It would have been easy to turn the project into a full electronics design environment, but that would have weakened its role as an approachable learning tool. We intentionally kept the first version focused on a small set of core concepts that can be taught clearly and interactively.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are most proud that INKlectric makes electronics feel approachable.
Instead of asking learners to begin inside a dense technical interface, it starts from something familiar: drawing on a desk. That lowers the barrier to entry and makes circuit exploration feel less intimidating.
We are also proud of the way the application connects multiple forms of understanding. A learner begins with a rough freehand sketch, sees it become a clean symbolic schematic, and then watches it appear as a 3D circuit representation. That bridge between sketch, symbol, and physical meaning is one of the most educationally valuable parts of the project.
Another accomplishment is the way the app treats mistakes. In many learning environments, incorrect work is simply rejected. INKlectric instead tries to make mistakes visible and informative. For example, when an LED is wired incorrectly or without proper protection, the result becomes part of the lesson. That helps the learner understand not just that something is wrong, but why it matters.
We are also proud of the guidance layer. The instruction card, haptic feedback, and structured modes help transform the project from a technical prototype into something that can actually support learning.
What we learned
We learned that educational XR experiences succeed when feedback is immediate, visible, and easy to interpret.
A learner gains much more from a simple system that responds clearly than from a more advanced system that feels inconsistent or difficult to read. In our case, immediate replacement of sketches, visible wiring points, a live 3D preview, and simulation outcomes all contributed more to understanding than raw feature count.
We also learned that guidance is part of the learning design, not just interface decoration. The instruction card became essential because it helps the user stay oriented as they move between calibration, drawing, editing, wiring, and simulation. Without that support, even a technically working system can feel confusing.
Another important lesson was that educational tools benefit from constrained scope. Limiting the current version to a small set of components made the experience more teachable, more reliable, and easier to understand. That limitation is not a weakness; it is one of the reasons the tool can communicate core circuit ideas effectively.
Finally, we learned that mixed reality has real educational potential when it is used to connect abstract concepts to physical space. By letting users draw on a real desk and then see virtual circuit behavior emerge from it, the app helps make electronics more concrete.
What's next for INKlectric
The next step for INKlectric is to deepen its value as an educational tool.
We want to expand the set of supported learning scenarios while keeping the same clarity and responsiveness that make the current prototype approachable. That means carefully adding more components, more meaningful circuit behaviors, and more guided exercises without overwhelming the user.
We also want to improve the teaching flow itself. A future version could include structured learning activities, progressive lessons, and guided challenges where the app teaches specific concepts such as polarity, resistance, closed loops, or failure cases step by step.
Another promising direction is collaborative learning. INKlectric could evolve into a shared spatial teaching environment where an instructor and a learner work on the same desk-based circuit together. A teacher could observe the student’s work, point out errors, or demonstrate correct wiring in real time.
Long term, we see INKlectric not just as a circuit sketching prototype, but as a mixed reality learning environment that makes the fundamentals of electronics more visual, more interactive, and more intuitive to understand.
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