The Augmented REality Sandtable (ARES) proof-of-concept is a traditional sandtable, filled with play sand, augmented with a commerical-off-the-shelf projector, LCD monitor, laptop, and Microsoft Kinect. The Kinect senses user gestures, changes to the sand “terrain,” and potentially, verbal commands as forms of user interaction. ARES projects moving military units, terrain features, and other data onto the sand.
Payoff:
Improved battlespace visualization.
Decreased time to author 3D terrains and scenarios.
Increased student engagement / retention levels.
Joint / Coalition Wargaming and Mission Planning through networked ARES tables.