Team Name
Sand Men
Timeline
Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
Students
- Montreal Lacy – Computer Science
- Luke Fungafat – Computer Science
- Andrew Nguyen – Computer Science
- Gensik Rubio Benitez – Computer Science
- John Nguyen – Software Engineering
Sponsor
USACE:
Jason Knight – Outdoor Recreation Planner/Natural Resource Management Specialist at US Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District
Abstract
Our project is to supply an AR Sandbox to our sponsor from the USACE. Our sponsor would like to have an AR Sandbox for visual simulation and demonstration to showcase many different environments that can be constructed on the fly. The main concepts that our sponsor would like to be able to showcase are in creating environments with topological mapping and water simulation to visualize scenarios for barges and other river or water-based geography.
Background
Our sponsor was inspired to have an AR Sandbox constructed after being able to use one at another one of their USACE facilities. Our sponsor is now requesting their own AR Sandbox, but with their own special requirements and differences to the one they were able to use. Currently no other AR Sandbox product meets their ideal product as most focus on simple terrain and water generation targeted for children while our sponsor would like to have more realistic projection.
Project Requirements
- Software Topography Mapping
- Software Water Generation
- As large as possible, but no more than Height of 10ft tall and 34×26 inches length and width
- Box Depth of 6-10 inches
- Enclosed Cart to store Laptop below the box
- Door with ability to lock for the cart
- Detachable box for ease of transport
- 3d printed objects (boats, barges, etc.)
- Cart Mobility with Lockable Wheels
- Acknowledgement Plaque
Design Constraints
- Accessibility: The sandbox height must be between 30-36 inches from the ground. The step stools should be sturdy and provide at least 10 inches of height, with non-slip surfaces for safety
- Functionality: The camera must operate at a frame rate of at least 30 FPS to avoid delays in height detection. The system needs to be capable of detecting height changes with a precision of 1 cm or less. Latency in capturing or processing height data should be under 100 ms
- legal considerations: The 3d printed objects must be lightweight, safe for users, and big enough so that they don’t get lost in the sand or potentially eaten.
- Maintainability: The detachable components must be reassembled easily, within 10 minutes, and without requiring specialized tools. When reassembled, the structure must maintain stability even with frequent disassembly and reassembly.
- Safety & Welfare: Wheels must support a total load of at least 300 lbs to accommodate the weight of the sand, and all the components such as the laptop, projector, and camera. The locking mechanism must hold securely when engaged, preventing any unwanted movement.
Engineering Standards
- ISO 19834: Specifies safety requirements for mobile equipment, ensuring that the wheels and locking mechanisms are safe, reliable, and effective in preventing unintended movement during operation.
- IEC 60297-3: Mechanical structure standards ensuring that the compartment dimensions allow for proper housing, protection, and ventilation of the laptop.
- ISO 10993-1: Ensures that the materials used for 3D printing are non-toxic and safe for human interaction, particularly when used by children.
- ISO 9241-110: Ergonomic requirements for human-system interaction. Guarantees that user interactions with the simulation are intuitive and responsive.
- ISO 14006: Guidelines for incorporating sustainable materials and eco-design principles into the construction of the compartment, reducing environmental impact.
System Overview
The AR Sandbox system is structured into three key layers that work together to capture, process, and project dynamic terrain visuals. The Camera Layer serves as the input stage, where the Kinect camera captures real-time depth data from the physical sandbox. This raw data is then sent to the Computer Layer, which acts as the processing hub. Here, depth readings are analyzed, terrain heights are mapped, and graphical enhancements such as color gradients and water effects are applied. Finally, the processed visuals are transmitted to the Projector Layer, which accurately overlays the generated terrain onto the physical sand, creating an interactive and immersive AR experience.
Results
The video includes a demonstration of calibrating the camera using the magic sand software, as well as the topological map changing due to user interaction.
Future Work
USACE will need a mac or windows laptop with one of the following configurations:
- 1. two USB ports and one HDMI port
- a VGA to HDMI adapter is needed
- 2. three USB ports
- a VGA to USB adapter is needed
- paint the box and cart.
- an extension cord for USB/HDMI cables is needed if the laptop is placed in the cart
- acquire a lock for the door
Project Files
Project Charter
System Requirements Specification
Architectural Design Specification
Detailed Design Specification
Poster
References
thomwolf, “GitHub – thomwolf/Magic-Sand: Magic-Sand is a software for operating an augmented reality sandbox,” GitHub, Oct. 10, 2017. https://github.com/thomwolf/Magic-Sand
