Students dig deep into learning with augmented reality sandbox

Students are reshaping how they learn one handful of sand at a time through an augmented reality sandbox.

The sandbox generates 3D topographical maps that include features such as mountains, valleys and bodies of water using an adjustable bed of sand. The map is cast onto the sand using a standard AV projector and a Kinect depth camera from an old Xbox, with colours such as blue representing water and red representing higher elevations. If you wiggle your fingers up and down above the sandbox rain will fall as a blue colour flowing across the map to show how water flows down slopes into rivers and basins.

“It’s good for visual learning styles,” says Devin Ayotte, a VIU Engineering Technician. “The tool provides a visual component to lessons about geography and hydrology.”

The innovative tool was built by Devin and Gerri McEwen, a VIU Earth Science Technician, in collaboration with a Women in Trades Training cohort through VIU’s Carpentry department. The sandbox was developed by researchers at the University of California (Davis) Keck Center and made available as open-source software.

Gerri says students can struggle to visualize two-dimensional maps meant to represent three-dimensional topography.

“When you can build a landscape in three dimensions, then it is easier for students to visualize and understand,” says Gerri, adding it makes the map tactile and a more immersive experience for learners. “The sandbox enables Earth Science instructors to quickly re-create the physical features and events that they teach in class. Research has shown that visualization tools greatly increase student learning outcomes.”

Gerri and Devin have showcased the augmented reality sandbox to local school groups, at the Nanaimo Science festival and at on-campus recruitment events such as VIU Fest. 

The sandbox is a hit with young learners and adults alike. It is especially appealing to kids sparking their curiosity about careers in Earth Science and Engineering, says Gerri and Devin.

“The kids are all over it, getting in there and getting their hands dirty building things. I think it piques their interest in terms of the technology involved in how it works – what they’re building and seeing. And it gets them more interested in natural sciences, engineering and computer science,” says Gerri.

Gerri and Devin are hoping to create a smaller augmented reality sandbox that can be loaned out to elementary schools, high schools and other community outreach organizations for hands-on learning opportunities.