ARCube

The ARCube is an augmented reality (AR) interface for three-dimensional spatial control, that is designed to be used next to physical control devices. Users can freely move and place virtual objects within a cuboid that represents a scale model of the surrounding space,  Their relative position can be used as control data for arbitrary applications. 

 

To evaluate the usability and possible interaction of the AR interface in combination with a hybrid interaction, a study was conducted inside an immersive audio environment with 28 loudspeaker setups. Participants explored the ARCube freely and performed a series of tasks related to the control of position and sound attributes of virtual sources. User feedback was collected through the think-aloud protocol (TAP) with user surveys. Using an extended thematic analysis method, problems of the AR interface and the hybrid approach could be identified. Further more, opportunities are identified by a newly suggested way of thematic analysis for the TAP method. Faulty detection of gestures and issues with spatial sound perception were found to be the most critical problems. The majority of participants reported enhanced engagement and immersion and built a creative way of interaction with ARCube.

 

ARCube is part of Shin's Master's project, a prototype for an expressive musical interface in XR, designed and developed by Shin under the guidance of advisor Dr. Henrik von Coler during a graduate research course at Georgia Tech.