ETC@CMU EXPLORES AUGMENTING REALITY
"The power of AR isn't to radically change our lives, but to make us better at what we already can do," said Will Hagen, a student at Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center(ETC), which is exploring its possibilities. The ETC is part of CMU's Integrative Design, Arts and Technology (IDeATe) Network.
The mixAR team studied how users interact with a virtual agent — in this case a spherical robot — to examine how an interactive agent can be useful, when it becomes a nuisance and how the robot could emotionally connect with the user.
"Right now the field is truly in its infancy," said Hagen, the producer for the mixAR team. "Imagine a paramedic arriving at an accident with an augmented reality device that can provide all the vitals of an unconscious individual, saving them the moments they may need to prevent that person's death. Dramatic perhaps, but one of the best examples of how we could use augmented reality to improve our society right now."
In addition to building valuable communication skills and meaningful projects in class, ETC's Silicon Valley program is hosted by Electronic Arts, so students on site are next door to a gaming company with many opportunities.
See the full story here: http://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2017/february/etc-augmented-reality.html