Inspiration
Though digital maps today are very useful, we found that it lacks details that would be beneficial to the user. We realized especially that there was a problem with navigating large buildings due to many factors ranging from a confusing layout to it being the user's first time in the building. Since maps of buildings are not always accessible and/or not very useful, we wanted a way to reduce the difficulty in locating certain rooms.
What it does
Our app allows people to use a modern technology to ease the process of maneuvering through unfamiliar hallways. It consists of a database of augmented-reality markers and paths for users to follow. On one end, users who are familiar with a location can place path markers to help others. To maintain reliability of the system, this path is only uploaded to the cloud for others to use once enough people mark the same path to the destination (in a Waze-like fashion). On the other end, users can follow these paths to their destination. This concept can also be applied to any space that traditional maps do not cover such as navigating from the front of a building to a specific apartment. Because our app uses augmented-reality and is user-driven, paths can even be expanded to outdoor spaces where it is more likely to be accurate in the face of events such as construction work.
How we built it
We used Microsoft Azure's Cloud Spatial Anchors to place path markers and upload the paths to the cloud that other users can access. ARCore was used to develop on an Android device and provide the environmental recognition needed for AR.
Challenges we ran into
We ran into challenges adapting Microsoft Azure's sample programs.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud that we were able to take our idea and develop it enough to target a real need. We were able to realize our concept through a physical app that was designed and developed within 24 hours, and provide demos of how to use the application.
What we learned
We learned a lot about Android Studio and smartphone coding, as well as the network connections between our local devices and the Microsoft Azure cloud. We also gained a deeper understanding of how AR works and the potential impact of this technology.
What's next for ARTrek?
There is a lot more to do, for sure. Our next step would be to set up the Cloud network so any user can download the app and access the database. From there, we would like to fully implement a search feature so other people can test the effectiveness of the app.
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