Situated Simulations

December 8, 2009

Gunnar Liestøl brings us Situated Simulations, a newly designed “moblie augmented reality genre for the iPhone.” In this example, a visitor to an ancient mound can use the iPhone to view a reconstruction of the ship buried within.

Unlike most current augmented reality functions, such as the popular Google Maps app, Situated Simulations does not use a live video feed and overlay graphics on top of the feed. Instead, it uses the iPhone’s built-in GPS and compass to turn the phone into a window into another time. The result is cleaner graphics and smoother movement. The 3D graphics take advantage of the entire screen, with the camera perspective changing to accommodate the user’s movement and orientation in real space.

Liestøl has published two papers (here and here) on the project and its uses in educational and recreational dimensions.

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