Augmented landscapes

December 4th 2015

Pipers Corner School is the first school in the country to build an augmented reality sandbox.

The project is a collaborative effort from the Geography, ICT and Design and Technology Departments to bring technology into the classroom and provide more interactive experiences when teaching students about landscapes and the impacts of change.

The box was built by the Design Technology and ICT teams and works by utilising a Microsoft Kinect Sensor taken from an XBOX 360 games console, this calculates 3D depth between the camera and sand surface allowing the software to map and plot the contours for the landscape which is then projected back onto the sand surface giving a colourful topological map that moves in real time when the sand is moved. The sand used for the device is a high quality white sand which is chosen for its light reflective qualities.

The software, which is used to bring the sandbox to life, runs on Linux which means it is using high performance graphics to simulate landscapes. The system also uses an Intel i5 Multi-Core processor which allows the water and lava simulation to run smoothly.

The device will be used mainly in Geography lessons, to teach girls about relief and contours (Year 7), fluvial processes and features together with the impacts of dam construction (Years 10 and 11), coastal studies, how and why volcanic eruptions can affect the landscape and in the Sixth Form, there is also potential for teaching about the movement of ice and mass movement. The device will also be used in the Pre-Prep and Prep Departments to teach them about mountains and rivers and to introduce them to the world we live in.

Head of Geography, Mrs Collins said “We are very excited to have this device in the Department and it has really changed the way girls learn about landscapes. Being able to see how and physically manipulate the landscape, they can begin to interpret landscape formation and associated processes much better. We would like to share the resource through workshops, use it in cross-curricular activities and possibly through links with other schools ensuring that it is used by a range of ages. The possibilities are endless!”

Please click here to see a film about the sandbox.