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Gravbox - The First Augmented Reality Sandbox for Gravitational Dynamics

  • January 2018
  • Conference: American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #231
Authors:
Jacob Isbell
Jacob Isbell
Jacob Isbell
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Mason Reed
Mason Reed
Mason Reed
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Zachary Luppen at SpaceX
Zachary Luppen
Erin Maier at The University of Arizona
Erin Maier
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Abstract

Gravitational effects are an overarching theme in astronomy education, yet existing classroom demonstrations are insufficient in elucidating complex gravitational interactions. Inspired by the augmented reality (AR) sandbox developed by geologists, we have developed Gravbox, the first AR sandbox to demonstrate gravitational dynamics. The arbitrary topography of the sand surface represents the mass distribution of a two-dimensional universe. The computer reads the topography with a Kinect camera, calculates the orbit of a test particle with user-defined position and velocity, and projects the topography contour map and orbit animation with an overhead projector, all within a duty cycle of one second. This creates an interactive and intuitive tool to help students at all levels understand gravitational effects. In this contribution, we will describe the development of the Gravbox prototype and show its current capabilities. The Gravbox software will be publicly available along with a building tutorial.
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Jacob Isbell - University of Iowa
Hai Fu - University of Iowa
AAS 231 - 11 Jan 2018
Existing Gravity Demonstrations
- Dominant force for structure formation on
astrophysical scales
- Students should develop an intuition for these
processes
J. ISBELL - GRAVBOX
Palen+,2014
Augmented Reality
PC: Niantic
J. ISBELL - GRAVBOX
arsandbox.ucdavis.edu
J. ISBELL - GRAVBOX
GRAVBOX
Sandbox
Projector
Kinect Camera
Trackpad
Interface Monitor
Computer Housing
How GravBox Works
1 Hz
J. ISBELL - GRAVBOX
Measure sand
surface using
Kinect camera
Calculate
acceleration map
using convolution
Convert height to
density [power-
law]
Calculate particle
trace with 1500
leapfrog iterations
Read User Input
Vector Update displays
Examples
J. ISBELL - GRAVBOX
Examples
J. ISBELL - GRAVBOX
This began as a class project, and wouldn’t have been possible without W.
Bettis, S. Deam, J. Lu, Z. Luppen, E. Maier, R. McCurdy, S. Moore, M. Reed, T.
Sterkula, J. Swanson, and Dr. Hai Fu
Funded by NSF Grant ASTR-1614326
For more information
astro.physics.uiowa.edu/gravbox/
Acceleration from Convolution
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