Augmented Reality

Instructors at the SAIT Polytechnic Millwright Training team identified a gap in student learning for being able to understand and visualize shaft alignment between machines. These machines are not only great in size but have an external metal chassis that does not allow learners to see when the internal shafts are properly aligned or misaligned. It was also difficult to fully understand the consequences of misalignment.

An AR application was created where a smaller, to-scale model of the machines could be projected onto a flat surface with a smartphone. Learners could then launch models that are both aligned and misaligned and see a slowed-down animation of how the alignment affects the machines and their efficiency as well as the potential damage that misalignment can create over time.

A member of Seneca Polytechnic’s Broadcast – Television program faculty identified a need to share video tutorials and learning segments with students in a way that would be easily connected to functions on specific pieces of audio mixing equipment. While students did have access to these pieces of equipment in classroom settings, they often did not have this equipment outside of the audio mixing labs.

An AR application was created that would project a virtual model of either a Yamaha TF1 digital audio mixer console or a Zoom F8 recorder. Each model was designed with “hot spots” (highlighted in red) that would launch video tutorials about their function when interacted with. Once a video tutorial was watched, the highlighted area changed to green. Students would then complete an assessment of multiple-choice questions once they have watched all the tutorials for each equipment.